Because I Loved Him
by Venetian Heart
Summary: A new girl comes to East High, and vows to get a certain basketball captain. When she finally attracts his attention, he leaves Gabriella to be with her. But will he realize who his true soulmate is? NOW COMPLETE.
1. The New Girl

**Author's Note: Hey there! This is my first HSM fanfic...I hope you like it!**

**Title: Because I Loved Him**

**Summary: A new girl comes to East High, vows to get a certain basketball captain. When she finally attracts his attention, he leaves Gabriella to be with her. But will he realize who his true soulmate is?**

**---**

Chapter 1

Bianca Sheppard paused for a second outside her new high school. The big red words "East High" popped out at her, as well as the Wildcat Banner hung below it. She strolled down the sidewalk, noting the different types of students mingling on the lawn. There were the typical groups: jocks, cheerleaders, skaters, drama kids, and its scholastic group. But something here wasn't normal: they were all mingling with each other, talking and laughing as if they hadn't a care in the world.

Now that was something you didn't see everyday.

She was yanked out of her trance by a loud whooping and yelling coming from the street. A large, cheering crowd had gathered around a certain couple. Peering between people's elbows, Bianca saw a petite, brunette girl holding hands with a tall, handsome boy. Wondering what made this couple so special, she ambled over, squeezing between people until she came to the front.

There, she saw why this couple was so unique. The girl carried what looked to be a heavy messenger bag embossed with a patch that read "Scholastic Decathalon Team", as well as several books under her arm. Craning her neck, Bianca saw the titles Advanced Chemistry II and Algebra and Geometry: Third Edition. Her eyes widened when she realized that this girl was smart, in the advanced classes, and a member of the Scholastic Club.

The boy was a complete opposite. His backpack looked like it had no more than two sheets of paper in it, and he carried a basketball under his arm. Under his green sweater he wore a basketball jersey that bore the name of the team as well as the number 14. This guy was a jock, a member of the basketball team, and, judging by the many cheerleaders and teammates that were swarming around him, the captain of the team.

This sent Bianca into shock. She had never even _dreamed_ of a pairing like this. A brainiac with a jock? A basketball captain with a member of the Scholastic Decathalon Team? This couldn't be real. Bianca pinched herself, but the sharp pain shooting through her arm told her that she was awake.

A bell rang in the distance, and the crowds around the school started scurrying through its doors, rushing to get to class. The couple walked into the same room together; Bianca assumed that they were in the same homeroom. Remembering that she had to get to the office and get her schedule, she headed off in a different direction.

---

Three hours later, Bianca saw them again in the East High cafeteria. This time, they were seated at a table, along with a girl and a boy who looked to be twins, a boy with uncontrollably bushy hair, a girl with curly ringlets framing her face, a shy-looking girl with glasses and a newsboy cap, and two other guys from the basketball team. They were all talking and laughing and having a good time. Once again, the couple that Bianca had seen outside were holding hands.

Seating herself on one of the benches near them, she caught the words "musical," "callbacks," "singing," and "Mrs. Darbus." They continued to talk and joke until someone yelled out, "Hey Troy! Gabriella! Sing for us!" This request was quickly taken up by the other students in the cafeteria. Some started chanting, "Sing, sing, sing!" and others pounded their fists on the table, creating a sound similar to the famous song, "We Will Rock You."

Looking over, Bianca saw the couple blush and try to turn down the requests. But then, the people at their table started saying the same thing. Soon, the whole cafeteria was chanting, asking them to sing. The couple, seeing that the cheers wouldn't stop until they sang, finally stood up, earning whoops and shouts from the students.

_Gabriella. So that's her name. And his is Troy. _Thought Bianca. She watched Troy and Gabriella look at each other nervously, their lips moving. They were obviously trying to decide what song to sing.

They talked for a long time. Gabriella looked nervous and scared, and Troy was trying to reassure her, rubbing her arms and kissing her forehead. She grinned, and nodded. Troy grinned back, and he led Gabriella into the center of the cafeteria. He waited for the students to quiet down, and then opened his mouth and started to sing.

_We're soaring, flying _

_There's not a star in heaven _

_That we can't reach._

Bianca was spellbound. Troy's smooth baritone flowed around the room, weaving itself into her ears. She would never have imagined that a popular basketball captain could have such a wonderful voice.

_If we're trying,_

_So we're breaking free._

She listened intently as Gabriella chimed in, adding her soft alto to the song. Bianca noticed that she looked more relaxed, more at ease. The song continued, as each Troy and Gabriella took turns singing.

_You know the world can see us,_

_In a way that's different than who we are._

_Creating space between us,_

_'Till we're separate hearts._

_But your faith, it gives me strength_

_Strength to believe..._

_We're breaking free!_

The students started to cheer as they launched into the chorus. Bianca noticed that a lot of them had climbed onto the tables in order to see them sing. They had obviously heard this song before. Bianca set her lunch tray down beside her, and climbed onto her bench as well, craning her neck in order to get a better view of the couple.

_We're soaring, flying_

_There's not a star in heaven that we can't reach._

_If we're trying,_

_Yeah we're breaking free._

_Oh we're breaking free._

Bianca had to admit: their voices fitted perfectly together. They could take turns singing the melody, with the other singing harmony, and it wouldn't sound weird. She saw Troy move a little ways from Gabriella, before launching into a moonwalk.

_Can you feel it building,_

_Like a wave the ocean just can't control._

She saw Gabriella dance her way back over to Troy, her voice getting louder and more confident as she really got into the song.

_Connected by a feeling,_

_Oooh in our very souls._

They started walking slowly towards each other, their hands reaching up as if to grab an invisible star.

_Rising 'till it lifts us up._

_So everyone can see..._

_We're breaking free._

_We're soaring, flying,_

_There's not a star in heaven_

_That we can't reach. _

_If we're trying,_

_Yeah we're breaking free._

Bianca saw Troy spinning around Gabriella, holding one arm out as if he was an airplane. Gabriella grinned as she watched Troy dance around her, before grabbing his hand and pulling him to one side.

_Running, climbing._

_To get to the place to be all that we can be._

_Now's the time,_

_So we're breaking free. _

Troy grabbed Gabriella's hand, and pulled her over to another side.

_More than hope, more than faith,_

_This is true, this is fate,_

_And together, we see it coming._

_More than you, more than me._

_Not a want, but a need,_

_Both of us, breaking free._

The crowd launched into louder cheers as Gabriella hit a high note and started spinning, while Troy held his hands out and danced over to her again.

_Soaring, flying._

_There's not a star in heaven that we can't reach._

_If we're trying,_

_Yeah we're breaking free,_

_Breaking free. _

Just as Troy and Gabriella got close together, she spun away, and started skipping around the enclosed space. Troy went the other way, and met her in the middle for a moment before spinning away again.

_We're running,_

_Oooh climbing,_

_To get to the place _

_To be all that we can be.  
Now's the time,_

_So we're breaking free._

_Oh, we're breaking free._

The students started screaming even louder (if that was possible) as Troy and Gabriella lowered their voices, obviously coming to the end of the song.

_You know the world can see us,_

_In a way that's different than who we..._

_Are._

They ended softly, looking deeply into each other's eyes. Troy leaned over and kissed Gabriella, who appeared rigid for a moment before melting into him. The students cheered and applauded, getting down from their perches and walking over to clap Troy on the back and squeal with Gabriella. Pretty soon, they all went back to their tables, trying desperately to finish their lunches before the end of the period.

Bianca sat back down, dumbfounded. It was obvious that they had chemistry together. She saw that Troy was kind and caring and sensitive, as well as tall, strong, and handsome. Bianca, who had just come out of a rocky relationship at her old school, wanted that.

She made a decision. And she promised herself that she would not rest until she met her goal. No matter what it took, no matter who it hurt.

She was going to get Troy Bolton.


	2. Meeting the Gang

**Author's Note: Thank you to everyone who reviewed last chapter!**

**i love the mall: oh...sorry about that. I didn't even know about your story until I read your review. But I assure you: everything in my story is original. Well, except for any characters and places you may recognize from the movie. Bianca is mine, though. I had a bad experience with a girl named Bianca when I was younger and I tend to name my characters after people I know...**

**Title: Because I Loved Him**

**Summary: A new girl comes to East High, and vows to get a certain basketball captain. When she finally attracts his attention, he leaves Gabriella to be with her. But will he realize who his true soulmate is?**

Chapter 2

Bianca began doing research--not the library type, mind you. Instead, she began following Troy around the school, noting his habits, his characteristics, and what the heck--his schedule. In her mind, she didn't view it as stalking. She was being...very observant.

Like the time that Troy went to his secret spot. She had followed silently up the stairs, taking off her heels for extra measure.

Peeking around the metal rails, she saw Troy sit down on one of the benches and bend down, as if he was stretching to touch his toes. But when he straightened back up, she saw he held a pair of shoes in his hand. They were black, and shiny, and had_...tap soles_? Woah.

He whipped off his sneakers and quickly put on the tap shoes. Troy did a couple of basic steps before launching into a very complicated, very fast tap routine. It reminded Bianca of the old show _Riverdance_. She watched his feet stomp and kick and flash for what seemed like hours. Troy was extremely caught up in the routine. His eyes were closed, and he was humming. Humming! Who would have thought that a basketball player would HUM? Let alone tap dance.

Bianca shook the memory from her mind. A bright pink flyer caught her attention:

**CHEERLEADING TRYOUTS**

**COME AND SHOW YOUR STUFF!**

**THREE SPOTS OPEN!**

**FRIDAY IN THE SCHOOL GYM DURING FREE PERIOD**

Her mind went into overdrive. She knew that the cheerleaders practiced at the same time as the basketball team. She also knew that they practiced in full view of each other, with the team taking one half of the gym, and the cheerleaders taking the other. She _also_ knew that the basketball team often stared at the cheerleaders while they were resting. And Troy was no exception.

A plan began to formulate in her mind. Today was Monday, which meant that she had four days to choreograph a routine, perfect it, and get onto the squad.

---

Friday came before she knew it. Bianca stood in the gym, clutching a pair of red and white pom poms. She was literally shaking. Bianca knew that this tryout could ruin everything if she didn't make the squad.

"Alright, Bianca Sheppard, let's see your routine," the head cheerleader droned. She sounded really bored. The girl sat at a table with two other cheerleaders flanking her.

Out of the corner of her eye, Bianca could see that the basketball team had come to watch the tryouts. She saw Troy staring into space, not really focusing on anything. Bianca took a deep breath before launching into the Wildcat cheer. She knew that all of the people trying out only had to make up a routine, and not a cheer. And she was thankful for that.

_Wildcats sing along!_

_Yeah you really got it goin' on!_

_Wildcats in the house!_

_Everybody say it now!_

_Wildcats everywhere!_

_Wave your hands up in the air!_

_That's the way we do it, let's get to it,_

_Time to show the world!_

Her routine was a variation of the traditional Wildcat dance, but she added cartwheels, flips, and jumps as well. She had been taking gymnastics since she was five, so this was no problem for her. She was just worried that she didn't have enough energy to make the squad.

When she finished, she looked at the head cheerleader, her chest heaving. The girl had leaned forward and propped her elbows on the table, watching Bianca with wide eyes. She leaned back and whispered excitedly to the two other cheerleaders, before turning back to Bianca and saying, "You're on the squad!"

Bianca screamed. She let out a loud whoop, before running over and thanking the cheerleaders. Then she packed up her gym bag, and started to head out the door.

"Hey." That soft greeting caused Bianca to whip her head around, her blond ponytail whizzing through the air. Her green eyes stared up into a pair of gentle blue orbs, and she started to hyperventilate when she realized that Troy was talking to her.

"Hi. I'm Bianca Sheppard," she said, reaching out to shake Troy's hand. He reached out too, taking her hand and enclosing it in his. She felt a strange sensation in her stomach, but paid no attention to it.

"I'm Troy Bolton. Are you new around here? I didn't see you last year," Troy replied, dropping her hand.

Bianca's hand felt lonely and cold once he released it. "Yeah, I just moved here this year. I came from Long Island, New York."

Troy whistled. "Wow, that's a long way from here." Bianca nodded. "So, do you wanna eat lunch with me and my friends today?"

"Sure! I'd love to!" she exclaimed. And secretly inside, she screamed, _Yes! Now I start to steal him away from Gabriella!_

"So, anyway, that was some routine you put together out there," Troy said. They were walking towards the cafeteria, after she had stashed her bag in her locker and after he had grabbed his lunch.

"Oh, thanks. I didn't think it was that good. This is my first year being on a cheerleading squad."

"Well, seeing you out there makes that pretty hard to believe."

"I've been taking gymanstics since I was five. I think that's the only reason my routine worked out okay."

By this time, they had arrived in the cafeteria. Troy led her to the table she had seen him eating at before. His friends were talking amongst themselves, but stopped when he cleared his throat. "Hey guys. This is Bianca. She just made the cheerleading squad."

"Hi Bianca. I'm Gabriella Montez." Of course, Bianca already knew that. She hated this girl instantly, and despised her for having the perfect boyfriend.

"I'm Taylor McKessie," volunteered the brunette sitting next to her.

"Kelsi Nielson," said the bespectacled girl.

"Chad Danforth. This is Zeke Baylor and Jason Cross," the bushy haired boy said. Bianca recognized him, Zeke, and Jason from the basketball team.

"I'm Sharpay Evans." The blonde girl eyed Bianca suspiciously. Bianca felt like laughing when she heard Sharpay's name. After all, who names their child after a dog?

"And I'm Ryan Evans," said her brother.

Troy sat down right next to Gabriella, and invited Bianca to sit on his other side. The group basically went back to their original conversations, all but ignoring Bianca. She listened in, trying to find out details about them. Bianca found out that Sharpay and Ryan had starred in all of the school's productions, except for last year's winter musical, when Troy and Gabriella had taken the leading roles from them. She discovered that Gabriella had moved to East High last year, but had met Troy on New Year's Eve. She learned that Chad and Taylor had tried to keep them from singing, but gave up and just let them do their thing.

After a while, Bianca stopped listening. She had already found out all that she wanted to know. Besides, she needed time to perfect her plan.


	3. Troy's Changes and Revelation

**Author's Note: Thanks to all of my reviewers from Chapter 2!**

**Smurfy Says Tu Madre Es Feo: Erm...I'm not sure if he does. I just felt like throwing that line from the movie in.**

**---**

**Title: Because I Loved Him**

**Summary: A new girl comes to East High, and vows to get a certain basketball captain. When she finally attracts his attention, he leaves Gabriella to be with her. But will he realize who his true soulmate is?**

---

Chapter 3

Something was happening with Troy.

Gabriella could see it. Suddenly, he was less talkative during lunch, chatting more with Bianca than with the rest of the group. He stopped singing whenever he found Gabriella humming one of their many duets. He spent more and more time in the gym, in fact staying there well past the time that basketball practice was supposed to end.

She wondered if Bianca had anything to do with it. There were plenty of other cheerleaders on the squad who were equally as pretty as her, but Troy had never been interested in any of them. So why was he now?

Gabriella was currently in Chemistry class, listening to the teacher drone on and on about formulas that she already knew. As soon as the bell rang, she rushed out of the classroom and hurried to her locker, where she knew Troy would be waiting for her. **(A/N: In my story, Troy and Gabriella's lockers are right next to each other. And in case anybody's confused, I'm making them juniors in this.)**

And sure enough, there he was. He had his locker door already open and was searching for something, probably his lunch. Gabriella walked over and twirled her lock, lining up the numbers before pulling the door open. She heard Troy's locker slam shut, telling her that he had found his lunch. Gabriella quickly put her books into her locker and pulled out her lunch, before closing her locker too. She smiled as Troy leaned down to peck her on the lips, and then took her hand and walked with her to the lunch room.

"Man, I did not understand a single word of the Algebra lesson today," Troy groaned. Gabriella chuckled. She knew that Troy had just come from Algebra, his worst and least favorite subject.

"Hey, it's okay," she said soothingly. "If you want, you can come over to my house after school, and I'll go over it with you," she offered.

"Sorry, but no thanks." Gabriella was shocked. She had never known Troy to turn down an invitation to her house.

"Oh, you have plans?" she asked. Normally, he would cancel any other plans he had in order to be with her.

"Yeah," he admitted sheepishly. "I'm going to the movies with Bianca today. I'm sorry," he apologized again.

"Don't worry, it's okay with me," Gabriella said sadly.

By now, they had reached the cafeteria. The rest of their friends were already there, engrossed in their own conversations. But they all looked up when Troy and Gabriella took their seats. Chad, Zeke, Jason, and Ryan all said, "What up, Troy?" and slapped him on the back, while Taylor, Sharpay, and Kelsi all exclaimed, "Hey Gabriella!" They all exchanged greetings and complaints about their previous classes before a loud, high-pitched, and obnoxious, "Troy!" was heard. The gang, except for Troy and Gabriella, groaned as they recognized who the voice belonged to. Troy was happy to see her, while Gabriella was a little suspicious.

Bianca came sauntering over and plopped herself right next to Troy. "So, are we on for the movie today?" she asked.

"Yeah. Of course. I'll come and pick you up at five."

"Sounds good!"

_Why would she greet only Troy, and not the rest of us? She's not trying to steal Troy away from me, is she? _Gabriella wondered. She was very sensitive about how other girls felt towards her boyfriend. While she wasn't a crazy-overprotective girlfriend, it sent chills through her whenever another girl smiled flirtatiously at Troy. Even though she didn't mean to, Gabriella always found herself comparing the other girls to her.

Bianca noticed that Gabriella was deep in thought. "Gabby, darling, can I see you in the ladies' room for a moment, pretty please?" Bianca simpered, batting her eyelashes. Gabriella winced at the nickname. Looking around, she saw that Troy was drinking all of it in.

She stood up, and walked to the bathroom, without waiting for Bianca. Bursting in, she walked over to one of the sinks and grasped it firmly, breathing deeply. She heard Bianca walk in after her, stop in front of the mirrors, and start touching up her make-up. Gabriella turned to Bianca and said, "Did you need to tell me something?"

Bianca finally dropped the sweet-girl act she'd been putting on ever since the first day of school. She turned too, and stared Gabriella in the eye. "Yeah. What does he see in you?"

The words hit Gabriella like bricks. So she was right. Bianca did want Troy.

"You know, I never did understand it. What Troy saw in you. After all, you're just a nerd, a member of the Geek Club. I'm a cheerleader. I'm blonde, and I'm skinny. What doesn't he like in me?"

"Maybe the fact that you're a spineless, heartless witch that cares for no one but yourself," Gabriella retorted.

"Me? Please. I care for Troy, as in really care. Unlike you, who only wants him to push herself up on the popular scale."

Gabriella felt her temper start to rise. "No. I don't need anyone to make me feel good about myself. I do that on my own."

"Whatever. Besides, isn't it supposed to be anyway? Me with him? He's a jock, and I'm a cheerleader. It's, like, destined, that we get together. The idea of a jock with a nerd is just weird. I'm surprised that no one's said a word about it."

Okay, this girl was going too far. "For your information, Troy and I made the school tighter than it was before. Because of us, no one travels in cliques anymore, no one excludes anybody, and everyone is friendly with each other."

"I don't care about that. But let me tell you something, and make sure you hear me well. I. Am. Going. To. Get. Troy. And nothing you do is going to stop me."

Gabriella felt tears in her eyes. "I hate you," she hissed.

"Bravo! Now she finally knows the feeling I have towards her!" Bianca said sarcastically. She touched up her eyeliner, then swept out the door.

Glancing in the mirror, Gabriella swiped at her tears with the back of her hand. But it was painstakingly obvious that she had been crying. Her cheeks were red and so were her eyes.

Gabriella walked out of the bathroom and back to the cafeteria. But she stopped dead when she saw Bianca getting awfully cozy with Troy, squeezing his shoulders and cooing. And Troy seemed to be enjoying it!

Her only comfort was that her friends seemed as disgusted as her. Even Chad, who was the main force against their relationship in the beginning.

Squaring her shoulders, she strode into the room, and approached the table. Grabbing her lunch, she took the empty seat between Taylor and Kelsi instead, and started stabbing at her pudding. Her friends noticed this, as well as her red eyes, and Taylor asked, "Gabriella, are you feeling okay?"

"Yeah," Chad chimed in. "Did your pudding do something to you?"

Gabriella smiled sweetly. "No, it's not the pudding. Let's just say I had an encounter with a snake that I'd like to forget," she said, while looking pointedly at Bianca.

---

Troy was confused.

Something was happening between him and Gabriella. And another something was happening between him and Bianca. And _another_ something was happening amongst his friends. Troy's head was spinning with all of the somethings going on.

First, he decided to tackle the thing between him and Gabriella. For some reason, he didn't feel the same chemistry between them that he had last year. They were drifting apart, and the strange thing was, that while it should have pained him to see his girlfriend become so distant to him, _it didn't._ They didn't talk much now, and when they saw each other before and after school, what normally would have been a peck on the lips turned into a half-hearted wave on his part. He noticed that Gabriella tried to stay close to him, giving him a comforting hug when he seemed like he needed that, but he stopped responding.

She stopped inviting him to her house, because everyday he had something to do with Bianca. _Bianca_. There was something happening between them too. For some reason, the chemistry that he used to feel with Gabriella, he now felt with her. He got a strange, tingly feeling in his stomach whenever he saw her, heard her voice, or watched her throw her head back and laugh. Troy felt nervous and jumpy around her, the way he used to feel around Gabriella. He also noticed that his friends were drawing back as well...

_His friends._ What was up with them anyway? Ever since Bianca had started joining them at lunch, they had become quieter, and less chatty. On Kelsi's behalf, that meant she didn't talk at all. Sharpay and Ryan stopped talking about Broadway, Taylor and Chad stopped bickering, Zeke stopped talking about the desserts he baked, and Jason, well, Jason stopped trying to peek at whatever Kelsi was writing.

Yup, Troy was confused.

And then, it dawned on him.

_He was in love with Bianca Sheppard._

And he desperately wanted to ask her out. But the problem was, he already had a girlfriend. And he didn't want to cheat on her, because she didn't deserve it. He just hoped that when all was said and done, that they could still be friends...

That was it. He got up off of his bed, brushed himself off, and went to find Gabriella.


	4. Breaking Up

**Author's Note: Wow...I never thought I would get so many reviews for a chapter! Thank you so much to all of my reviewers!**

**This chapter is dedicated to my anonymous reviewer, I love Zac Efron. You rock! I'll see you in school...**

**---**

**Title: Because I Loved Him **

**Summary: A new girl comes to East High, and vows to get a certain basketball captain. When she finally attracts his attention, he leaves Gabriella to be with her. But will he realize who his true soulmate is?**

**---**

Chapter 4

Gabriella was in Ashlem Park, her favorite place to go when she was alone. She would often go after school (when Troy wasn't over her house) and sit in front of the small duck pond, tearing apart a slice of bread and throwing them to the mallards. Once she brought Troy here, when they were still a new couple. Unfortunately, he found it so boring that he fell asleep on her shoulder while she stared out across the pond, watching the sun illuminate the water.

She'd been coming here a lot lately, ever since Troy started spending his afternoons with Bianca. That girl was like a thorn in her side, driving Troy further and further away from her. If one didn't know any better, they'd think that Bianca was Troy's girlfriend, and not Gabriella.

A tear dropped onto her cheek as her mind replayed the recent weeks' events: Troy getting more comfortable with Bianca, putting his arm around her shoulders, and tugging her hair whenever he saw her. And Bianca giving Gabriella death glares everytime. Whenever Troy so much as poked Bianca, Gabriella felt a stinging pain at her heart, and she would grow pale and clammy.

Her friends noticed this. And they all hated to see Gabriella in such pain. They stopped talking whenever Bianca approached their table, instead turning away and giving their attention to Gabriella. Gabriella was grateful to her friends for being so loyal...but she wanted Troy's attention the most. Unfortunately, it seemed that it was all going to Bianca.

Gabriella knew that Troy was drifting away from her. She tried to stay close to him, offering everyday to help him with his homework and inviting him to movies on weekends, but he declined everytime. She gave him a hug whenever she saw him, making the first move instead of waiting for him to peck her on the lips, like he used to. She would smile warmly at him whenever he looked her way, and try to soothe him whenever he was agitated. But he didn't respond to her affection; she would have gotten more of a reaction if she stroked a rock.

She saw the way that Troy looked at Bianca now: with shining eyes and a permanent laugh on his lips. It was the way he used to look at her...

---

Troy drove around town, checking all of the places where he thought Gabriella might be. He checked the library, but it was closed, being a Saturday. He checked Taylor's house, but nobody was home. Then he went to her house, but Mrs. Montez said that Gabriella was out.

As he drove, Troy racked his brains to figure out Gabriella's whereabouts. But his mind kept going back to a certain blonde cheerleader...Bianca. He felt a warm feeling in his stomach as he thought about her. Troy wasn't sure what had caused his affections to shift to Bianca. All he knew was that it was a gradual thing; so slow that he barely noticed it until he was head over heels in love.

He tried to figure out a way to break it to Gabriella. But as far as he knew, there was no way he was going to be able to speak with her unless he _was able to find her_! Troy smiled slightly as he remembered all of the good times he had spent with Gabriella: sitting with her in a hammock; spinning her around until they were both dizzy; singing with her in the musical; watching the lights glint off her hair as she scribbled something down in Mrs. Darbus's class; falling asleep on her shoulder as she looked out over the duck pond in Ashlem Park...

_Ashlem Park._ Of course Gabriella would be there. "It's my favorite place to go to when I want to be alone," he distantly remembered her saying. He pressed his foot down on the pedal, and sped away to the park.

---

Gabriella heard the sound of a car pulling up in the parking lot. She listened as the driver set the parking brake, then turn off the car and step out. She heard someone approaching her from behind, their footsteps slow and hesitant.

"Gabriella?" She would know that voice anywhere. She pulled her knees up to her chin and wrapped her arms around herself.

"Hey Troy," she responded quietly. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Troy come up and sit down on the bench next to her. She watched as he ran his hands through his hair and sighed, blowing his cheeks out. He was obviously trying to say something to her. And Gabriella had a bad feeling that she knew what it was.

"Did you know that you were my first love?" he finally asked. Gabriella turned her head to look at him, a confused expression on her face. "Yeah, you're probably baffled by that, considering that I'm surrounded by cheerleaders and other girls everywhere I go. But you were the first girl that I ever fell in love with," he continued.

"And why was that?"

"Because you didn't try to be someone else around me. You just acted normally, and that's what first drew me to you."

_Oh, Troy, if only you knew what Bianca is really like _Gabriella thought. But all she said was, "Oh."

"I enjoyed being your boyfriend, really, I did. I had so much fun singing with you, and watching you do your homework, and just plain being with you. But...I'm not anymore..." he trailed off, trying to judge her reaction.

"Because you don't love me anymore," Gabriella said, tears coming to her eyes. "You love Bianca now."

Troy was silent.

Gabriella took a deep breath. "I know, Troy. I've seen the way you look at her. It...was the same way...you used to look at me."

"I'm sorry Gabriella. I really didn't want to hurt you. But I need to try this, or I'll never be happy. I understand if you hate me completely now..."

"No. Go on. Go and ask Bianca out. I won't stop you."

"What?" Now Troy was confused. He'd expected Gabriella to throw a fit, yell and scream. But she didn't. She was just sitting there, hugging herself, with tears running down her cheeks. He wondered what was scarier: a big explosion from her, or no reaction at all. He decided that this was scarier; he had no way to know how she was feeling.

"Go and be with Bianca. I want you to be happy. And if that means letting you go, then..." she paused, a sob ripping through her speech, "I'll do it."

Troy was crying himself. It pained him to see Gabriella so sad, and to know that it was all his doing. He reached over, and gave her a hug. "Can we still be friends?" he asked softly. She nodded slowly. "I'm sorry," he whispered again. Troy kissed the top of her head, then stood up and turned to leave. But he heard something that made him stop and turn around. Gabriella was singing.

_It isn't a crime to want_

_A little space to breathe._

_But you will be fine,_

_The sun again will shine, on you._

_Whatever you do,_

_Take your sweet, sweet time._

_'Cause I'll be here, when you change your mind._

_Take your sweet, sweet time._

_I'll be here, for you baby,_

_Anytime._

Gabriella paused for a moment. Troy could see her shoulders shaking. He turned to leave again, but then heard Gabriella continue.

_I'm feeling you pull away,_

_'Cause letting go, isn't easy for me_

_But you'll never fly, with someone else's wings._

_I know._

_Wherever you go._

_Take your sweet, sweet time_

_'Cause I'll be here, when you change your mind._

_Take your sweet, sweet time._

_I'll be here, for you baby, _

_Anytime._

_I will never stand in your way,_

_Wherever your heart may lead you,_

_I will love you the same._

_And I will be your comfort everyday,_

_Do you hear the words I say?_

_Take your sweet, sweet time._

_I'll be here, when you change your mind._

_Take your sweet, sweet time,_

_I'll be here, for you baby,_

_Anytime._

Gabriella waited until she heard Troy's car start and pull away, before breaking down into huge, wracking sobs. She buried her face in her hands and shook her head, knowing that she was letting the love of her life slip away.

---

**Author's Note: Ha, you are so lucky I was able to write this. I've had a pounding headache the whole day. **

**Anyway, the song Gabriella sang was "Take Your Sweet Time" by Jesse McCartney. (Yeah, I know, she's a girl, and Jesse's a boy, but I feel the song can go both ways.)**

**See you next chapter!**


	5. A Mother's Comfort

**Author's Note: Hooray! I broke 50 reviews! Err...make that 60! Thank you so much for all of your support!**

**And a BIG thank you to MadiWillow for pointing out small details that I forgot to put in my story...and for keeping me from looking like a complete dolt. **

**---**

**Title: Because I Loved Him**

**Summary: A new girl comes to East High, and vows to get a certain basketball captain. When she finally attracts his attention, he leaves Gabriella to be with her. But will he realize who his true soulmate is?**

**---**

Chapter 5

Once Gabriella's eyes were dry, she walked back to her house. As she walked the three blocks between her house and the park, she remembered all of the good times that she and Troy had together. She remembered looking into his eyes on New Year's Eve as fireworks exploded overhead, talking with him in his secret spot about kindergarten, singing with him at the final callbacks, and the nervousness in his eyes when he asked her to be his girlfriend. But remembering all of these just made Gabriella sadder and more heartbroken.

Tears sprang to her eyes again, blurring her vision. As she stumbled through the door, she let out a choked sob, and collapsed on the living room couch. Mrs. Montez came hurrying in to see if her daughter was alright. She'd been in the middle of cleaning their kitchen and entered the living room with a rag in her hand. But when she saw Gabriella curled up on the couch, crying, she dropped the rag and rushed over to her daughter's side. Mrs. Montez lifted Gabriella's chin, asking, "What's wrong, Gabriella?"

"Mom, Troy...he broke up...with me," Gabriella said. She could hardly speak through her sobs and tears. Just saying those words brought fresh tears to her eyes.

Mrs. Montez felt Gabriella's emotion. Her daughter was the barometer that set her daily life. If she saw Gabriella bright and cheerful, she would feel her mood lift too. But, if like today, Gabriella was sad and miserable, her own disposition would sink.

She pulled Gabriella into an embrace, saying, "Oh, I'm so sorry baby." She felt tears spring to her own eyes, and she ran a hand over Gabriella's hair, smoothing it over and over again. "Do you want to talk about it?" she asked.

"Troy said that...he...didn't love me...anymore," Gabriella hiccuped. "He likes this...other girl now...her name is...Bianca." She felt a wave of rage as she said Bianca's name. "She's horrible, Mom. Last week, she cornered me in the bathroom and said that she would get Troy, no matter what it took. And it looks like...it came true..."

"Shh, Gabriella, it's not your fault. Troy is just unlucky that he doesn't see how mean she is."

"That's the problem. She acts sweet and nice around Troy and my friends all the time. No one knows, except me."

"Gabriella, listen to me. Any boy would be fortunate to have you. It's Troy's fault that he broke up with you, not yours. He just doesn't know what he'll be missing," Mrs. Montez soothed.

"What should I do, Mom? I let him go, because I want him to be happy. I said so myself, 'I want you to be happy. Even if it means letting you go'. But Mom, I want him back so badly!" Gabriella began to cry again. Mrs. Montez sat in silence, feeling that Gabriella wasn't finished. She wasn't disappointed.

"Mom, what should I do? Should I change my attitude, the way I dress? I miss him...I miss being in his arms and listening to him sing to me," Gabriella whispered.

" 'Ella," Mrs. Montez started, using Gabriella's childhood nickname, "did he ever tell you what made him love you in the first place?"

Gabriella smiled slightly at the use of her old nickname. "He said because I didn't pretend to be anyone I wasn't. He said because I just acted like myself."

"There's your answer. Just be yourself, and don't change a thing," Mrs. Montez said wisely. "And if Troy doesn't fall in love with you again, then it's his loss. Your true love will love you for the person you are, and not the person you pretend to be."

Gabriella nodded. "Thank you, Mami," she said, using her old name for her mom. Mrs. Montez smiled and kissed her daughter's forehead before standing up.

"Do you want me to fix you anything?" she asked.

Gabriella shook her head and drew the back of her had across her eyes, trying to wipe away the tears. "No thanks. I think I'll just go upstairs, read a book and listen to music."

Mrs. Montez nodded, knowing that this was Gabriella's way of unwinding after a stressful day. "Okay. If you need anything, I'll be in the kitchen. If you want, you can invite your friends over."

Shaking her head again, Gabriella said, "I think I need to be alone." Her mom smiled at her lovingly, and Gabriella turned and walked upstairs.

---

Upstairs, Gabriella walked into her room. Her four-poster bed dominated half of the room, flanked by two small nighttables. On the other side there were a few couches, a fireplace that was never used due to the warm climate of Albuquerque, and her beloved stereo. Picking up the remote, Gabriella turned on the music player, not caring at the moment what CD was playing.

_It's hard to believe, that I couldn't see..._

Oh no.

The CD was a soundtrack of Twinkle Towne that Kelsi had burned for her. Gabriella listened as her voice and Troy's weaved together in the song, with Troy singing the melody as she sung the harmony. She remembered the night that they performed the play for the school...

_The entire auditorium was filled. For the first time, ticket sales had exceeded the whole school population, according to Mrs. Darbus. Apparently, everybody was excited to watch a play where the Evans twins weren't in the starring roles. _

_Gabriella stood offstage, shaking in her costume as Minnie. She was in a simple white dress, because this was the scene of Arnold and Minnie's first date. Troy came up to her, looking extremely uncomfortable in Arnold's trademark tuxedo and top hat. _

_"I hate this coat," Troy grumbled. "It's so stiff and hot...how can a guy move in this thing?" He rotated his shoulders, trying to loosen up the jacket. _

_"You're complaining?" scoffed Gabriella. "Look at my shoes!" She cocked a foot, revealing the two-inch heel on the white shoe that she had to wear. Troy looked at her bare calf for a little longer than necessary. For a moment, Gabriella was thankful for the modest hem on the knee-length dress. She smirked, and then waved a hand in front of his eyes._

_"What?" he said, startled. Then he saw the smirk on her face, and blushed. She laughed, and then he joined in. _

_"You ready to do this?" Troy asked. Gabriella paled. _

_"I don't know. There's so many people out there...I don't think I can do it Troy!" she replied, worried now._

_"Hey, don't worry. Just think of the time that we sang together, and then ended up auditioning without knowing it!" Gabriella grinned at the memory of them singing along to Kelsi's playing. _

_"But what if I freeze up?"_

_"Then focus on my amazingly handsome face through the whole song and you'll be fine!" Troy grinned mischievously._

_Gabriella smacked him on the head. "Hey! That hurt! And I just spent a whole hour in makeup on my hair!" Troy whined. _

_That earned him another smack. "I don't have a choice! The script **makes **me look at your face for the whole song!"_

_"Lucky for you I'm so cute then!"_

_Gabriella glared at him. "Yeah, of course. You know, there are a few pigs and horses that I know of that are trying to get your phone number. Would you like me to give it to them?"_

_Troy looked hurt. "Touché, Gabriella."_

_Suddenly they heard Mrs. Darbus' voice booming over the sound system. "Ladies and Gentlemen, the second act of Twinkle Towne is about to begin. Please find your seats, turn all cellphones off-" Gabriella and Troy shared a private chuckle, remembering Mrs. Darbus' hate towards cellphones, "And enjoy the show!"_

_Now Gabriella was really worried. She looked into Troy's blue eyes, fear and nervousness reflected in her own. Troy noticed this, bent down, and said, "Don't worry. Just remember the audition, and the first time we sang together. Like kindergarten." Gabriella smiled, and nodded. _

_Troy pulled her out onto the stage, and the audience began to clap. He listened for the introduction from Kelsi's piano, before starting to sing._

_**It's hard to believe, that I couldn't see,**_

_**You were always there beside me.**_

_He caught Gabriella's gaze, urging her to continue. She took a breath, and added her own voice to the song._

_**Thought I was alone, with no one to hold,**_

_Then the audience began to cheer as their voices mixed together._

_**But you were always there beside me. **_

_**This feeling's like no other.**_

_**I want you to know,**_

_**That I've never had someone**_

_**That knows me like you do.**_

_**The way you do,**_

_**And I've never had someone, **_

_**As good for me as you.**_

_**No one like you,**_

_**So lonely before, I finally found**_

_**What I've been looking for.**_

_Gabriella and Troy cut off at the same time, breathing deeply and staring into each other's eyes. Then, Troy leaned forward, and their lips met. The audience, thinking that this was part of the show, _oohed _and _aahhed. _But Troy and Gabriella knew better. When they broke off, they both had goofy grins on their faces._

Gabriella remembered that day so clearly. It was the day that Troy finally let her know how he felt, and the day she let him know how she felt. Amazingly, no tears found their way to her eyes; she had cried them all out. But listening to the song, and the rest of the soundtrack, made her feel hollow and empty inside. He was her best friend, her better half. And she didn't know how she could live without him.

---

It all happened so fast.

To Troy, it was like a blur. One moment, he was breaking up with Gabriella, watching her cry and listening to her sing. Now, he was at Bianca's doorstep, ringing the doorbell and waiting for someone to answer the door.

All he remembered was showing up at her house, and blurting out, "I love you." Then he remembered Bianca squealing and tackling him, causing both of them to tumble onto her lawn. _Gabriella didn't do this. She just smiled, and then gave me a big hug_, he thought. Then he mentally kicked himself for thinking about Gabriella. _She's not your girlfriend anymore. _

Bianca was ecstatic. The first thing she did was whip out her cellphone and immediately started calling everybody on her contacts list. Every chat was the same:

"Like, oh my god, you are not gonna believe who asked me out!"

_"..."_

"Troy Bolton!"

_"..."_

"Well, he just asked me, so I guess not."

_"..."_

"I gotta go. Later! Love ya!"

Troy listened to about thirty of these conversations, before saying, "Bianca, I need to go. My dad needs me for basketball practice."

Bianca made a face. "Your dad makes you practice too much. But, I guess I'll see you later. Bye Troy-iee!" Troy winced at the nickname. The next thing he knew, Bianca planted a kiss on his mouth, before walking back inside, still chattering on her phone.

---

What Troy didn't know was once Bianca shut the door behind her, she snapped her phone shut. She'd actually been faking the last conversation.

"YES!" Bianca cried, pumping her fist in the air. Her plan was working perfectly. So far, she'd gotten Troy to break up with Gabriella. Then, he'd asked her out! If Gabriella was heartbroken, that would just be another bonus. Bianca was convinced that all her hard work had finally paid off.

Ever since she met Troy at the cheerleading tryouts, she'd taken to wearing _very_ revealing outfits. The most modest of which involved a halter top and a mini skirt with stiletto heels. She was so lucky that East High's only dress code was "No exposure of undergarments permitted." Bianca had seen Troy's eyes go wide everytime he saw her in the halls.

Not to mention the extreme flirting she'd laid on him. She thought he was actually kind of oblivious for not seeing that she was flirting with him. And now, he was head over heels in love with her.

She hoped that soon, he would be blind enough for her to drop the sweet-girl act she'd been putting on for the past two months. She hated acting sappy-sweet to everyone in school, especially the ones she hated, like Gabriella.

But, Bianca was happy. She'd gotten the most popular guy in school, and that was what she wanted from the start.


	6. New Couple on the Block

**Author's Note: Ah, I see most of you now hate Bianca. Excellent! **

**Anyway, thank you to everyone who reviewed last chapter!**

**Okay, I'm not sure if I mentioned this before, but this is the middle of Troy and Gabriella's junior year. They did the musical in January, and the story starts in the middle of February. Right now, it's about the end of March. Sorry if anyone was confused!**

**---**

**Title: Because I Loved Him**

**Summary: A new girl comes to East High, and vows to get a certain basketball captain. When she finally attracts his attention, he leaves Gabriella to be with her. But will he realize who his true soulmate is?**

**---**

The Troy stepped out of his car, only to be ambushed by a bunch of screaming girls. "Troy, is it true? Did you break up with Gabriella? Are you going out with Bianca Sheppard?" they all asked. He shook his head at how fast gossip spread throughout the school. But, the girls misinterpreted this as refusing that he was with anyone. Cries of "Troy! Be mine!" and "I love you!" rang in his ears. He covered them, ducked his head, and hurried into the school.

But, he was only surrounded by more people. And all of them wanted to know the same thing: "Where's Gabriella?" They had all gotten used to seeing him walk in with Gabriella by his side. Now that he was alone, the student population was confused. They started swarming around him, asking questions and making inquiries.

Only when someone shouted, "Back off! He's with me!" did they quiet down. They parted in unison as they watched Bianca strut towards Troy. They gasped when she ran a finger down his chest and kissed him, hard. Then they all scurried away like mice when she took his hand and walked off.

Out of the corner of his eye, Troy saw Gabriella watching the whole scene. He saw her turn pale and hurry away, her hand over her mouth. Troy wanted to go after her, but Bianca pulled him along to her homeroom class.

On the way, he ran into Chad, Zeke, and Jason. "Hey, man. What's--" the greeting died on Chad's lips when he saw Bianca and Troy holding hands. He glared at Troy, his eyes saying, _And what about Gabriella? _Troy shook his head, as if to say, _Not now, man._ He watched as they walked away, looking over their shoulders every once in a while.

"Ooh, look Troy, we're here!" Bianca squealed. Apparently, to her, "here" meant her homeroom class. "Thanks for walking me Troy," she said, batting her eyelashes.

_Wait, I was walking her? I thought she was just towing me along! _"Err...no problem. Look, I got to go. Darbus is going to kill me if I'm late," Troy said, excusing himself. But not before Bianca grabbed his shoulder and brought his lips down to hers. Then she broke away and walked into class.

Glancing at his watch, Troy saw that he had three minutes to get to homeroom. He practically ran in, beating the bell by two seconds. "Ah, Mr. Bolton, nice of you to join us," Mrs. Darbus said loftily. Troy sheepishly sat down in his seat, leaning over to say hi to Gabriella.

He was met by an empty desk. Gabriella had moved. Looking around, Troy saw that she had moved to the back of the room, where she had sat on her first day at East High. He also saw their friends clustered around her, clearly trying to ask her questions. But Gabriella seemed distant and aloof, not in tune with the world around her. Troy tried to meet her gaze, but she kept her eyes firmly on Mrs. Darbus.

"Mr. Bolton!" Troy jumped and turned around. Mrs. Darbus was leaning over his desk, an impatient look on her face. "Mr. Bolton, you are in a place of learning. There is time for your social life at lunch!"

"Sorry, Mrs. Darbus." That seemed to satisfy her. She rambled on about the influence of Shakespeare (her favorite playwright) on the English language and its literature, throughly boring the class. Everyone had a glazed look in their eyes, except for Sharpay, Ryan, Taylor, and Gabriella. But everyone else seemed to be asleep, only to be woken up half an hour later by the bell.

Troy ran out the door and leaned against the wall outside, waiting for Gabriella. But she walked right past him, chatting with Taylor about a chemistry project. He held is arms out, as if to say, _Hello? Did she not see me? Am I invisible?_

Bianca chose that moment to throw herself into his arms. "Aww, Troy, you're so sweet!" she cooed loudly, kissing him again. Troy felt awfully uncomfortable about all of these public displays of affection. People were walking past them, giving them weird looks and whispering amongst themselves.

It was different when he was with Gabriella. She was a conservative person, and didn't like to make big scenes regarding their relationship. Instead, they opted for the indiscreet peck on the lips, linked hands, and warm hugs when at school.

Bianca, on the other hand, wanted to make their relationship as public as possible. Every chance she got, she would kiss him full on, putting her arms around his neck, and putting his around her waist. Troy didn't mind doing this, but he didn't like doing between every period. He was going to have to talk to Bianca about this.

---

Later, at lunch, Troy waited for Gabriella by their lockers. Even though they had broken up, he still wanted to be on good terms with her. She was his best friend, the one who understood him the best. She was the one he went to when he was having doubts about doing the musical and when he needed to unload all of the stress put on him as team captain. Gabriella would soothe him, and calm him down, and restore his self-confidence. He always felt relieved after being with her.

After ten minutes, he gave up and went to the cafeteria. When he got there, he saw Gabriella already sitting at the table, talking to Sharpay and Kelsi about the upcoming spring musical. Taylor and Chad were bickering again, Ryan was trying to calm them down, and Zeke and Jason just sitting there, inserting a few comments of their own into each conversation.

"Do you know what musical Mrs. Darbus chose for the spring play?" he heard Gabriella ask Kelsi.

"Nope. She's still talking to the rest of the people in the drama club, to see if anybody's written anything," Kelsi replied.

"Well, it won't matter what she picks. 'Cause once again, I'll be the star!" Sharpay exclaimed. She stared at Gabriella for a moment, as if challenging her to contradict what she said.

"Oh no you won't!" Sure enough, Gabriella had made a retort. "I'm going to steal the spotlight away from you again, Sharpay!" She stared back at Sharpay. They kept this up for about thirty seconds before they both exploded into laughter. The two girls were on good terms now, backing each other up when it came to musicals.

They were still laughing when Troy approached the table. Chad saw him, but turned his head and went back to arguing about the importance of Oprah Winfrey with Taylor. Troy was a little put out by this, but shook it off and said, "Hey guys."

The gang stopped talking and acknowledged Troy half-heartedly. Gabriella just fell silent, saying nothing at all. _What's up with them? _Troy wondered. He started to take out his lunch, only to hear Bianca call out his name. He turned, and was greeted with the sight of his new girlfriend walking towards him. She plopped herself on his lap, linked her arms around his neck, and kissed him. Out of the corner of his eye, Troy saw his friends' jaws drop in shock, and start to whip their heads back and forth between Troy and Gabriella, as if they were watching a tennis match. But Gabriella's reaction was different. Troy pulled away when he saw her. She had turned pale again, and tears had started falling out of her eyes. She wiped them away quickly, then stood up and pushed her lunch away.

"Gabriella, are you okay?" Taylor asked, reaching out to her friend.

Gabriella nodded through her tears. "Yeah, I'm fine." But her face said otherwise. "I'm going to the library. There's some...research...that I need to get done," she continued quickly, beginning to turn away.

"But what about your lunch?" Sharpay gestured towards Gabriella's sandwich and apple.

"I'm full," Gabriella replied, trying to sound convincing. Then she made her escape, hurrying in the direction of the library.

Gabriella may have said that she was full, but her friends knew better. Her sandwich was nearly whole, with only two or three bites taken out of it. Her apple sat there, complete and shining in the cafeteria light. They instantly knew that something was wrong.

They sat there for a moment, wondering why Gabriella was acting so strange. They hadn't seen her that uncomfortable around Troy since January, before they did the musical.

Then it hit them: Troy. That was why they were sitting on opposite sides of the table. That was why Troy was kissing Bianca so freely. And that was why Gabriella had high-tailed it out of there, tears dropping onto her cheeks as she went.

He had broken up with her.

In unison, they turned their heads around to glare at Troy. Sharpay and Taylor looked furious, Jason and Ryan looked confused, Chad and Zeke looked sad, and Kelsi just stared at Troy, no emotion in her brown eyes.

"What did you do to her?" growled Taylor.

"I broke up with her."

"Well that's obvious! But why do you have to shove it in her face, the fact that you've moved on and found yourself another girlfriend?" Sharpay snapped.

"Look, she said that she wanted me to be happy. She let me go willingly!" Troy protested.

"But that doesn't mean you have to make a big deal out of it, and hurt her even more!" Chad retorted.

Bianca was feeling left out by now. "Hello, you know I'm still here, right?"

Kelsi turned to stare at Bianca, a raging fire burning in her eyes. "Stay out of this Bianca. It doesn't concern you," she hissed dangerously.

"Yes it does! Anything that has to do with Troy and that sad wannabe Gabriella has to do with me too!" Bianca exclaimed without thinking.

The gang gasped. They had finally seen the bad side of Bianca. Looking over at Troy, they all wondered why he was going out with such a witch. But Troy was oblivious to Bianca's outburst. Instead, he was staring at his friends, anger etched on his face.

Taylor stood up, and the rest of the group stood up with her. They all ran off in the direction of the library, clearly looking for Gabriella. Troy watched them go, feeling alone as his friends turned their backs on him.

_This is getting really bad. I have to talk to Gabriella, and stop my friends from turning their backs on me, _Troy thought. He promised himself that he would talk to Gabriella at the earliest possible moment.

---

**Author's Note: Uh oh. Troy's friends have deserted him in favor of Gabriella...**

**I've decided to take this opportunity to answer the question that many of you have been asking me:**

**_Will Gabriella get revenge on Troy?_**

**The answer: Probably not. I'm trying to keep everyone in character as much as possible. I'm trying not to take too many liberties with their personalities, with the exception of Bianca. From what I saw in the movie, Gabriella isn't the type of person who would take revenge on people. For example, after Troy said those things about her, she didn't try to say mean things about him. Instead, she just took it quietly until Troy caved and apologized. I'll probably take the same course in my story. **

**Since school is starting this week for me, my updates aren't going to be as often anymore. If I'm lucky, I'll be able to work on chapters little by little throughout the weeks, and update on the weekends. But I can't promise you anything, except this: there will be a next chapter somewhere within the next 2 weeks. Then the updates will become more regular as I start to adjust to my new school routine. See you then!**


	7. Friends Find Out

**Author's Note: Haha! I broke 100 reviews! Thanks to everyone who reviewed Chapter 6!**

**foreverlily: I'm sorry if my updates aren't as fast as you would like them to be. But the chapters are getting (somewhat) longer and more complicated, so they take longer to write. In addition, I'm taking three advanced courses this year, so you can imagine the piles of homework I get.**

**bayxbay: No, it wouldn't be too out of character to Gabriella to be asked out. But I'm going to hold off on that for a bit...I want to focus on other things first. ;-)**

**And thanks especially to MadiWillow, your average tEEn, and my (formerly) anonymous reviewer, I Love Zac Efron, for reviewing every chapter without fail, and (on ILZE's part) reminding me everyday in French class to update! You guys are the best!**

**---**

**Title: Because I Loved Him**

**Summary: A new girl comes to East High, and vows to get a certain basketball captain. When she finally attracts his attention, he leaves Gabriella to be with her. But will he realize who his true soulmate is?**

**---**

Chapter 7

Taylor was at the head of the group, madly dashing towards the library. They burst in the double doors, causing a loud _crash!_ as the doors banged into the walls behind them. Students looked up from their work, and Mrs. Folstaff marched over from her desk.

"Taylor McKessie! What is going on here?"

"Oh, sorry Mrs. Folstaff. See, my friends here, we have, uh...a...uh..." Taylor stammered.

"What she means is that we have a report that was just assigned today, and we want to get a head start," Sharpay butted in, putting her twelve years of theater experience to use. Taylor shot the blonde a look of gratitude.

Meanwhile, in the back, Kelsi had whispered to Zeke, "Zeke, please, please, please tell me that you have something baked in there!" she begged, pointing to Zeke's lunchbox. Her stomach rumbled, as she had abandoned her lunch in favor of the gang's search for Gabriella. He opened it and started rummaging, digging between Ziploc bags and napkins.

"No...no...no...hey! I didn't know Mom packed me a sandwich!" he muttered.

"What kind is it?"

"Um...liverwurst." Kelsi made a face.

"Err...no thanks. Anything else?" she asked.

"I've got...water."

"Zeke!" Kelsi whisper-shouted.

"What's the report on?" Mrs. Folstaff inquired.

Sharpay paled. She hadn't thought to make up a research topic. Behind her, Ryan slapped his forehead, while Jason and Chad shook their heads.

"Crème brulee! **(A/N: I have no idea how to spell that)**" Zeke shouted triumphantly. He held up a small container, finally successful in his Lunchbox Search. The gang slowly turned to look back at him, disbelief etched on their faces.

"There's no way Folstaff is going to believe that!" Chad hissed.

But he was wrong. Up front, Mrs. Folstaff's face had taken on a dreamy look. "Ah, yes, crème brulee. My absolute favorite dessert...so creamy and fluffy, yet filling and satisfying. Yes..."

"Uh, Mrs. Folstaff?" Taylor waved her hand in front of the librarian's face. But the woman was daydreaming about desserts, and waved her hand, allowing the group to pass. They rushed by, whispering "Thanks" as they went.

---

They found Gabriella at one of the back tables. A sheet of paper was in front of her, and a pencil beside it. But the sheet was blank, and wet with tears. "What did I do to deserve this?" they heard her ask over and over. Her head was bowed, and the tears were running down her nose and onto the paper.

The boys held back, while Taylor, Sharpay, and Kelsi went over to comfort her. Taylor took the seat next to Gabriella, and rubbed her friend's back, saying, "Nothing, Gabriella, you didn't do anything." Sharpay and Kelsi went to the other side and sat, taking Gabriella's hands within their own.

Startled, Gabriella looked up, and saw the faces of her friends. She saw Taylor, tears brimming in her brown eyes. She saw Sharpay, with a genuine look of concern on her face, and Kelsi, looking unusually mad. Behind them she saw the boys, Chad, Zeke, Jason, and Ryan, looking somewhat uncomfortable in the library, but sad for her.

Gabriella was touched. She hadn't expected her friends to be so loyal, especially the boys. It wasn't that she didn't trust them, but she had expected those on Troy's team to stand by him, instead of her. She straightened up, and drew her sleeved arm across her eyes. "What are you guys doing here?" she asked, her voice slightly husky.

"We came running after you left the cafeteria," Chad started.

"Yeah, we wanted to make sure that you were okay." This came from Ryan.

Gabriella smiled slightly. "I'm sorry...I just didn't want you to see me completely break down..." she trailed off.

Tightening her hold on her friend's hand, Sharpay spoke up. "Gabriella, you're allowed to cry, you know." Gabriella nodded, tears still streaming down her face.

"Can we ask you what happened?" Kelsi asked softly.

---

Troy was staring into space.

Well, to be more specific, he was staring down the hallway that had swallowed up his former girlfriend, and then his friends.

_What had he done?_

He had never felt so alone. Not when the team shunned him for trying out for the musical, and not when Gabriella refused to talk to him because of something he had said (although that incident is a close second).

But what made it worse was that when the team turned their backs on him, Gabriella was there to comfort and reassure him. And when Gabriella wasn't talking to him, he had his friends by his side.

But now he had no one. Well, no one except Bianca.

However, Bianca wasn't exactly the perfect companion. She was extremely self-centered, checking her makeup and her hair every five minutes, and then puckering her lips everytime he looked at her. After their respective practices, she would complain about the tremendous amount of flipping, jumping, and shouting she had to do, as if he didn't have his own strenuous practice.

But he had to admit, she was a pretty good kisser.

---

Bianca couldn't get her boyfriend's attention. He was still staring off into the hallway that his friends had taken, in pursuit of Gabriella. Bianca's insides boiled as she thought about that girl. She still hated her for having brains and loyal friends.

To be honest, she hated Troy's friends. She thought they were weird and strange, for willingly coming together when they were so clearly from different groups. Taylor was obviously another brain, Kelsi, Sharpay, and Ryan were from the drama club, and Chad, Zeke, and Jason were jocks, the most popular members of the basketball team. Aside from Troy, of course.

And she hated how they never talked to her, never gave her a moment's attention. She was Bianca Sheppard, the cheerleader, the new girlfriend of the popular Troy Bolton. Shouldn't she get the most attention, instead of the geeky Gabriella?

Bianca was uneasy about her. She saw the way that Troy stared at Gabriella after she fled the cafeteria, with hurt and sadness in his eyes. He had never looked at her with such conflicting emotion before. Well, not that she wanted him to, but she still wanted him to look at her! Mostly, when they were together, he was staring into space, at other people, at the floor. Anywhere but at her!

Bianca was worried that Troy was still in love with Gabriella. In addition, she was bored now. She had gotten the boy, but now she needed another scheme to keep from dying of total boredom.

After a few minutes of thinking, she hatched the perfect plan: permanently destroy whatever was left of Troy and Gabriella's relationship.

---

"You're kidding!" Sharpay gasped.

"No way!" Ryan exclaimed.

"Dude," was the only response from Jason and Zeke.

"He broke up with you for that witch? What does he see in her?" Chad asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, he--wait. You know how she really is?" Gabriella said.

"Yep. After you let, we started fighting with Troy. And then she butted in, calling you a 'sad wannabe,' " Kelsi filled in.

"Why does she hate me so much?" Gabriella whimpered sadly.

"Probably because you're smart, popular, and you had the most popular guy in school for your boyfriend," Chad replied. Taylor smacked him on the back of his head. "Ow! That hurt!" he complained, massaging his head.

"You're not helping!" she hissed.

"Notice the word, 'had'," Gabriella said quietly.

Taylor turned away from Chad to look at her friend. "Gabriella, I just have one question: Why did you let him go so..." Taylor struggled for the right word, "willingly?"

"Yeah, that's what I wanna know!" Ryan chimed in. A chorus of "Me too" joined also.

"I guess because I wanted him to be happy. I saw that he enjoyed Bianca's company much more than he did mine. After all, she's the typical image of a cheerleader. She's blonde, skinny, leggy, tall, and has green eyes."

"Yeah, but she has the attitude to match," muttered Ryan.

Gabriella smiled slightly. "True. But how can I ever compete with that? I'm plain. I'm not flashy or anything. All I have is brown hair and brown eyes."

"But you have a big heart. You have the brains. You're nice to everyone, no matter what they did to you in the past," Taylor said gently.

"You still didn't tell us why you let Troy go..." reminded Jason.

Gabriella sighed. She looked down at the table, weaving her hands together. She took a deep breath, before looking back up to stare at her friends.

"Because I loved him."

---

**Author's Note: Ah ha! Now you see where the title comes in!**

**I realized that there was another question that a lot of people have been asking me:**

**_Is this story a Troy/Gabriella?_**

**As the author, I can't say that. It would give too much away. If it helps, I hate Bianca as much as you do. But, if you do a little research, you just may find out what my favorite High School Musical pairings are...**

**My next update probably won't be until next weekend, so I've decided to give you a little preview:**

_Gabriella stepped out of the science room, having just finished shooting a film of one of their experiments for a school project. Little did she know that Bianca was waiting right outside the room. The cheerleader stepped out to block Gabriella's path, mirroring her movements when the brunette tried to step past her._

_"May I help you?" Gabriella asked, loading venom into her voice._

_Bianca narrowed her eyes, then raised a perfectly manicured finger to point at Gabriella. "Listen, you little geek. There's only one girl here who's going to stay in Troy's heart. And. It. Ain't. Gonna. Be. You," she said, saying the last six words as if they were separate sentences._

_"I don't know how you shoved yourself onto Troy, but I know him well enough to be able to say this: he hates girls like you!" Gabriella shot back._

_"Please. Have you seen how he's been with me? Who's the person he's always talking to nowadays? Who's the girl that he kisses everyday, in front of the whole school? You know, it's a shame that you never got to experience them. They're actually very nice. Very hard, very passionate, and always involving the tongue..." Bianca trailed off, watching Gabriella's reaction carefully. _

**Sorry, but that's all that I can give you. Hopefully it'll hold you over until my next update. See you then!**


	8. A Week of Fights

**Author's Note: I'm sure you're getting pretty tired of reading this, but I feel like I have to do it anyway. Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed Chapter 7!**

**I've noticed that some of you have been complaining about my updates. And right now, I'm asking you to stop. I've been trying really hard to get my updates out every weekend (that means writing when I'm supposed to be doing homework and staying up late). I really feel that you have no right to complain about how far apart my updates are. **

**foreverlily: I try very, very hard to be nice to my reviewers regarding updates. But, if you continue to complain about my updates, I WILL delete your reviews before I even read them. I work my butt off to get my updates out in a timely fashion during the school weeks, and I DO warn everyone regarding how far off my next update will be. Please, I love you as a reviewer, but I'm sick of reading your complaints when I give out a fair warning AND a preview of the next chapter.**

**Okay, sorry for that little rant.**

**---**

**Title: Because I Loved Him**

**Summary: A new girl comes to East High, and vows to get a certain basketball captain. When she finally attracts his attention, he leaves Gabriella to be with her. But will he realize who his true soulmate is?**

**---**

Chapter 8

At lunch, Troy was running around like a chicken without a head, desperately searching for Gabriella. They hadn't talked in weeks, simply because Gabriella gave him the cold shoulder whenever he opened his mouth to speak. But he needed to make sure that they were still on good terms with each other.

He knew that he hadn't been exactly acting as if he wanted to still be her friend. He hated whenever Bianca started kissing him in front of Gabriella. But she was his girlfriend, and she had every right to do that.

After checking all over the school, he found Gabriella in the music room. She was sitting at the piano, her hands pressing down on the keys, her petite body swaying in time with the music. He quietly opened the door and let himself in. Gabriella was so engrossed in the music that she didn't hear him come in. And once he recognized what she was playing, he understood why.

She was playing the song that had brought them together. The one that had bonded them ever since. "Start of Something New."

She wasn't singing. Instead, she was just playing, the notes sounding lonely without the lyrics accompanying them. He was tempted to sing his part, but that would just alert her that he was there, and he didn't want that.

Too quickly, the song finished. His throat was tight when he said, "That was wonderful."

Gabriella jumped, and then turned around. She met his eyes, and he was startled to see how hollow and empty they looked. The rest of her didn't look to well either. She looked like she hadn't slept in weeks, or eaten much either.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"I need to talk to you."

He was met with silence. He decided to just plow on ahead. "Why have you been avoiding me, Gabriella?"

"Do you really need an answer for that?" He winced. Her reply, while not loud, stung, like a slap in the face.

Troy opened his mouth to speak, but she cut him off. "I have a question for you too, Troy. What makes you think I deserve the way you've been treating me? Is it because I didn't make you happy? Was I not good enough for you?"

Now he was angry. "How I've been treating you? I haven't done anything to you! How about the way you've been treating me? I've been trying to talk to you for weeks! But you just turn away!"

Gabriella felt her eyes well up with tears. "Because I'm scared of what you're going to say. I'm scared of being hurt again. I--" she broke off, trying to hold back a cry. "I just don't want to lose you."

Troy's expression softened. He sat next to her on the bench, and put his arm around her shoulders. "Hey," she said softly. "You'll never lose me. I'll always be here for you."

There was a question that she was dying to ask. "Troy, do you think she's the right person for you?"

Troy was taken by surprise. "Uh, yeah. I'm pretty sure she is."

"Ah. So she hasn't shown you her other side yet."

"What other side?" Troy was confused.

Gabriella sighed. "Troy, it's alright to have a crush on someone, but it's not right to be with someone you're _pretty sure_ is the one for you."

"What? Wait. You're just saying that because you don't like the idea of me being with Bianca!" Troy accused.

"No! I just want you to be happy. I told you that, even if it means letting you go!" she protested.

"Sure!" Troy scoffed.

Gabriella could see that he was blinded by his girlfriend. "Troy!" she said loudly. "Think about this: would she like you if you weren't the most popular guy in school, if you weren't the captain of the basketball team?"

"No one liked me because of that! That was the only reason that people liked me! Because I was captain!"

Gabriella shook her head. "Not me. I saw past that. I saw a guy who was kind and caring. I remember once he stood up for what he wanted to do, even though his teammates shunned him for it. But now, all I see is just one lost little boy, clutching to a security girlfriend because he wasn't confident in himself. And if you think that your friends only like you for your skill in basketball, you are sadly mistaken!"

"Gabriella, you know, before this whole conversation, I was hoping that I would be able to remain friends with you," Troy said. "But I can't be friends with someone who doesn't want me to be in a relationship that involves someone other than them!"

"I'm just looking out for you! I don't want you to be hurt!" she exclaimed. They were practically shouting now.

"Listen well, Gabriella. I'm not a little kid. I can look out for myself. I am with Bianca now, and nothing can change that."

"Is this what you really want?" she asked him softly.

Troy closed his eyes and exhaled, thinking for a moment. When he opened his eyes, he had an answer. "Yes."

Tears started to flow down Gabriella's cheeks. She lowered her chin, so he wouldn't see her eyes. "Troy, remember this: there are two-faced people in this world. But it takes a strong person to see behind the façade that they put on."

A slamming door told her that Troy had left. Gabriella sighed deeply, before turning back to the piano and placing her hands on the keys. A song flew into her mind, her favorite. Pressing down on the ivory keys, she played a short introduction before letting out her soft voice.

_Notice me,  
Take my hand.  
Why are we strangers when  
Our love is strong.  
Why carry on without me?_

_Everytime I try  
To fly, I fall.  
Without my wings, I feel so small.  
I guess I need you baby.  
And everytime I see  
You in my dreams.  
I see your face,  
It's haunting me.  
I guess I need you baby._

Gabriella paused for a moment, letting her hands float over the instrument. She thought she heard a faint scuffling outside, but ignored it and kept on playing.

_I make believe  
That you are here.  
It's the only way,  
I see clear.  
What have I done?  
You seem to move on easy._

_Everytime I try  
To fly, I fall.  
Without my wings, I feel so small.  
I guess I need you baby.  
And everytime I see  
You in my dreams.  
I see your face,  
It's haunting me.  
I guess I need you baby._

Unbeknownst to Gabriella, her friends were huddled outside of the music room door, silently listening to her song. They had come running over when they saw Troy storm out of the room. The girls had tears on their faces, and the boys were fighting to hold their own back, but it was plainly obvious, due to the glistening of their eyes.

Gabriella raised her voice, putting every amount of pain and sorrow into the climax of the song.

_I may have made it rain,  
Please forgive me.  
My weakness caused you pain,  
And this song is my sorry._

_At night I pray,  
That soon your face will fade away.  
And everytime I try,  
To fly, I fall.  
Without my wings, I feel so small.  
I guess I need you baby.  
And everytime I see  
You in my dreams.  
I see your face,  
It's haunting me.  
I guess I need you baby._

Gabriella trailed off, her fingers plinking out a few lonely notes, before launching into sobs. She was huddled over, her face in her hands, as her shoulders shook and her chest ached. Her friends wanted to burst in and comfort her, but they seemed to feel that she needed to be alone.

They drew back from the door, each of them with grave looks on their faces. "She really wants Troy back," whispered Sharpay.

"But he doesn't want her," Jason said.

"Look, he's too stubborn to see that Gabriella really is the right one for him," Chad put in.

Taylor asked, "So what do we do now?"

Kelsi came up with a plan. "Let's just comfort Gabriella now, and ignore Troy. When he truly comes to his senses, we'll help them."

"Sounds good," everyone agreed.

Ryan looked a little uncomfortable. "So, do we go in there?"

The gang looked at each other. "No. She needs to be alone," Taylor said.

---

A few days later, Bianca was awakened by a loud beeping from her cell phone. Cursing loudly, she sat up, wondering who would dare call her at this ungodly hour. She reached for her cell phone, flipping it open. She was met with this message:

_April 15th_

_Science Club shooting video after school_

Bianca sat there for a few moments, pondering the mysterious note. Then it hit her: she had entered that note a week ago, after she had found out that Gabriella would be shooting a video with the science club.

Bianca knew that this was her only chance to totally crush Gabriella. And by doing this, she would have Troy all to herself...

---

At 3:30 that day, Gabriella found herself in the Science room, shooting a video to promote the club to next year's incoming freshmen. The camera had focused on her, the biggest brain of the group, many times, and she tried to look upbeat and happy.

But she felt dead inside. Troy's rejection had dug out her heart and thrown it away, and she felt a dull ache inside. She knew that it was silly to punish herself over his choice, but she couldn't help it. It pained her to see him being used by Bianca to make herself popular and known as "Troy Bolton's girlfriend." He was blinded by her, unable to see how mean and cruel she was to everyone.

Distantly, she saw one of the younger members of the club had zoomed the camera in on a bubbling chemical, then onto Taylor, who started launching into a short description of the experiment. She ended with a peppy, "Join the Science Club!" The camera panned back out to include the entire club, with Gabriella and Taylor in the center. Gabriella pasted a fake smile on her face, but let it drop as soon as soon as the student made a chopping motion with her arm, signaling _cut_.

Sighing, Gabriella walked over to where her messenger bag was waiting. She was exhausted; a full day of classes, homework, and note taking had taken a toll on her. Plus, the fact that Troy really wasn't talking to her now didn't help at all.

As she lifted her bag onto her shoulder, she thought of the time that they had met after her Science Club session and his basketball practice to rehearse for _Twinkle Towne_. She smiled when she remembered Troy waiting by a row of lockers, pretending that he had been there the whole time, when actually he had just gotten there himself. Looking at his "watch," he laughed when she grabbed his arm, pulling him towards the music room.

"Gabriella?" Taylor's voice pulled her out of the memory. Looking at her friend, Gabriella saw that the girl looked concerned and worried. "Gabriella, do you want to come over today? We can do our homework, and then..." Taylor trailed off, searching Gabriella's brown eyes for an answer.

Smiling tiredly at her friend, Gabriella shook her head. "Sorry Tay, I'm just really tired today. I think I'll just go home...thanks though."

Taylor peered at her friend. "Gabriella, you know that you can talk to me about anything, right?"

Nodding, Gabriella turned to leave.

---

What Gabriella didn't know was that Bianca was waiting right outside the door. When she left the room, the blonde cheerleader stepped out to block her path, mirroring her movements when the brunette tried to step past her.

"May I help you?" Gabriella asked, loading venom into her voice.

Bianca narrowed her eyes, then raised a perfectly manicured finger to point at Gabriella. "Listen, you little geek. There's only one girl here who's going to stay in Troy's heart. And. It. Ain't. Gonna. Be. You," she said, saying the last six words as if they were separate sentences.

"I don't know how you shoved yourself onto Troy, but I know him well enough to be able to say this: he hates girls like you!" Gabriella shot back.

"Please. Have you seen how he's been with me? Who's the person he's always talking to nowadays? Who's the girl that he kisses everyday, in front of the whole school? You know, it's a shame that you never got to experience them. They're actually very nice. Very hard, very passionate, and always involving the tongue..." Bianca trailed off, watching Gabriella's reaction carefully.

Gabriella was suddenly furious. Angrier than she had ever been, even with Troy. Pulling herself up to her full height, she towered over Bianca. Her eyes flashed with a fire that no one had ever seen. Bianca shrank back as Gabriella started advancing towards her, backing up into the wall.

"Listen here, you two-faced witch!" Gabriella spat. "I know him better than anyone. Why did he want to hide his singing talent from his friends? What other commitment did he have on the day of our callbacks? What happened between us in the second act of _Twinkle Towne_? Huh? Do you know any of these things?"

Bianca was speechless. She had never seen Gabriella so angry. It scared her, to know that Gabriella had all this hate stored up behind the calm, shy exterior she put on. And as much as it pained her to say it, Gabriella was right. She didn't know anything about Troy. She actually didn't really know him at all.

She opened her mouth to speak, but Gabriella cut her off. "You think that no one can see past the sweet-girl façade that you put on. You think that everyone believes you really do love Troy. But I can see past people. I saw past the basketball-boy face that Troy put on, and saw someone completely different. And it's the same story with you!"

Bianca's eyes were wide. She spun around on her heel and fled down the hall as fast as her stiletto heels would allow her.

Breathing hard, Gabriella felt exhausted. She too turned around, and headed for the exit of the school.

Both girls thought that their fight wasn't heard by anyone. But both were mistaken. The Science Club had overheard the big fight between the girls, and had peeked their camera around the door.

Everything was caught on tape.

---

**Author's Note: Sorry if Gabriella was a little out of character during her fight with Bianca. Someone needs to teach that witch a lesson, though.**

**Anyway, the song that Gabriella sang was "Everytime" by Britney Spears.**

**My next update probably won't be for another week. And if you're going to complain about that in your review, READ THE AUTHOR'S NOTE AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS CHAPTER. I love you all as reviewers, but I get extremely angry when I read a complaint about my updates.**


	9. Spring Musicale Auditions

**Author's Note: Wow...I broke 150 reviews! You guys rock!**

**I noticed that a lot of you were being really cautious with what you said in your reviews. Don't worry, I don't take "Update soon" as a complaint. I see it as like a request...so don't stress yourselves.**

**I've added chapter titles in the chapter selection list, so watch out for those.**

**I'm going to try a new thing for thanking my reviewers. I got this idea from _atruwriter_ (if you're a Harry Potter -Draco/Hermione- fan, check out her stories. They're possibly the best ones I've read on this site), so all credit goes to her.**

**Key:**

_Great Reviewer_

**_Special Reviewer_**

_**Amazing Reviewer**_

**Thanks to the following reviewers of **Chapter 8 - A Week of Fights:_ xfunkyxfr3shx, carito06, Oliverwoodschic, soaringinlove, IMfreak13, angel at sight devil at heart, HSMandHProxmysox, Zanessa Fan, shoppinfreak, LuvHighSchoolMusical, Hillary Moore, luvokemo, xoxo-jeniie-xoxo, cheygrrl, Phoenix Feather Queen, zanessaforever, suleima hernandez, heaventsent0214, muah, Randomly SmuRfy, larabaybee, Leah, Rachel, maria-b3l3n_, **_StrengthToBelieve, Miley Cirus - Hannah Montana, Pinkninja83, Brishty, HSMxluvah, _**and especially **_breaking freexx, your average tEEn, _**and **_MadiWillow_**

**_Dedicated to: breaking freexx_**

**_Thanks for helping me work out all of the details in this chapter, as well as the songs!_**

**---**

**Title: Because I Loved Him**

**Summary: A new girl comes to East High, and vows to get a certain basketball captain. When she finally attracts his attention, he leaves Gabriella to be with her. But will he realize who his true soulmate is?**

* * *

Chapter 9

The next week, Gabriella was sitting in homeroom when Mrs. Darbus broke the news.

"As you all know, the winter musicale-" some people snickered when she said that word, "was a huge success." Cheers broke out in the room as the guys slapped Troy on the back and the girls grinned at Gabriella.

"So, tomorrow, during free period, I will be holding the spring musicale's rehearsals in the auditorium for those of you brave enough to expand the wings of your creative spirit!" she finished dramatically. Sharpay and Ryan started talking excitedly.

"But!" she yelled, causing everyone to jump, "the rehearsals will be a little different this year. Every person auditioning will be singing their own song, whatever they choose."

Troy raised his hand. "Mrs. Darbus, are you having pairs auditions again?" Gabriella interjected, knowing that Troy was looking at her.

"No. Like I said, Miss Montez, every person auditioning will be singing their own song...alone."

Dropping his gaze from Gabriella, Troy mumbled, "Oh."

"In addition, the annual Junior Prom is next Friday. There will be a karaoke session if any of you are interested. And I feel compelled to tell you that anyone caught spiking the punch will be **severely** punished," Mrs. Darbus continued, looking pointedly at Chad. The class laughed. She opened her mouth to say more, but the bell signaling the end of homeroom rang, and the class rushed out eagerly.

Troy ran to Bianca's homeroom, taking his time because he knew that free period was next. He waited outside, watching Bianca argue animatedly with her teacher. After five minutes, Bianca gave up and stormed out of the door.

"Hey babe," Troy said, wondering what was wrong. "What happened?"

"I'm failing, that's what happened. Namora just told me that I'm failing her class! And if I fail, I'll get kicked off the cheerleading squad!" Bianca fumed, referring to her homeroom teacher.

"Erm, is there a way that you can bring your grades up?" Troy asked.

"Yeah. She said I have to try out for that stupid musical that Darbus is putting on. According to Namora, I need an 'extra-curricular activity,' " she sneered.

Troy did a double take. "_Stupid _musical?" he asked incredulously.

"Oh, please. Troy, baby, did you honestly think that I would try out for that play any other way? I'm a cheerleader. Plays are for those weird drama geeks that you hang out with."

"Those 'weird drama geeks' are my friends!" exclaimed Troy.

"Yeah, well they shouldn't be. You, baby, are a jock. You're the most popular guy in school. Jocks don't try out for musicals. I don't know what that nerdy Gabriella inserted into your brain, but if you're going to stay with me, you are not trying out for any play again!"

He was shocked. "What did you just call her?" he hissed.

Bianca flipped her hair. "You heard me. She's just a nerd. A nobody. You left her, remember? And you made a pretty good choice, too. 'Cause now, you have a such a hotter girlfriend."

"Don't you ever call her that again!" Troy yelled.

She cocked one eyebrow.

Troy was seething inside. "Listen here, Bianca. No one tells me what I can and can't do. Especially not **you**. And I'll be trying out for that musical, whether you like it or not." He turned around and walked away.

---

Wednesday came, and Gabriella still wasn't sure if she was going to audition or not. The last time she had tried out had been with Troy, and it just brought back too many painful memories.

She spent her free period in the library, trying to think of reasons why she should audition. So far, she had nothing. Groaning, Gabriella bent her head down, resting them on the pillow created by her crossed forearms. _Why am I even thinking of auditioning? _she asked herself.

"Gabriella?" a shy, timid voice asked. She looked up to see Sarah Pritchman, a girl from her French class, standing before her. "What's wrong?"

"Oh, hey Sarah. Nothing's wrong...I was just--" she broke off under Sarah's questioning stare. Gabriella sighed, realizing that Sarah knew something was up. "I was trying to decide whether I should audition or not."

Sarah sat down across from Gabriella, staring into her eyes. "And are you going to?"

"Probably not."

"Why?" Sarah asked.

"Because the last time I auditioned, I was with Troy. And now, he's with Bianca, and--"

Sarah nodded understandingly. "It brings back too many memories of times you had together," she said, finishing Gabriella's sentence. When Gabriella nodded, she sighed. "Gabriella, you **have** to audition." Gabriella looked up, a puzzled expression on her face. "When you and Troy auditioned, you showed everyone here at East High that it's okay to break out of your shell. It's good to try new things, instead of sticking to unwritten codes and rules. You showed us not to be afraid to try new things. You and Troy both gave us courage to be ourselves, instead of the people we pretend to be because of our friends."

Gabriella was dumbstruck. She had no idea that her audition had empowered so many of the other students. "Wow."

"Yeah. But if you refuse to audition tomorrow, then everything would have been pointless. It's just like taking two steps forward, and three back. You'll show everyone that breaking out of stereotypes is only a short-lived thing, that it's not supposed to be forever."

Now Gabriella realized that she had to audition. She had to continue leading the East High student body into a totally new frontier. "Thanks, Sarah. You've just convinced me to audition."

Sarah beamed. "Do you have a song yet?"

"Er...no."

Sarah deflated. "Not yet?"

"I haven't come across one," Gabriella replied.

"Try this one. It's got a story to it, and it'll show off your range," Sarah said, winking at Gabriella. She slid a CD across the table.

The bell ending free period rang. Gabriella stood up, the CD in hand. She hugged Sarah, whispering, "Thank you so much."

Sarah returned the hug, saying, "You get 'em, Gabriella!"

---

"First audition: Bianca Sheppard!" Mrs. Darbus called out.

Bianca stood up from her seat next to Troy. Turning to him, she demanded, "Kiss me for luck."

"I don't want to jinx you," Troy refused flatly. Huffing, she turned around, and strutted onto the stage.

She took the microphone, and stared out into the audience. An Indian-themed track started to play as Bianca struck what she thought was a sexy pose.

_I'm telling you loosen up my buttons baby (Uh huh)  
But you keep fronting (Uh)  
Saying what you going do to me (Uh huh)  
But I ain't seen nothing (Uh)_

_I'm telling you loosen up my buttons baby (Uh huh)  
But you keep fronting (Uh)  
Saying what you going do to me (Uh huh)  
But I ain't seen nothing (Uh)_

Troy cringed. He had no idea that his girlfriend had such a whiny and screechy voice. Or why she would pick such a...an inappropriate song. But he was in the front row, so he couldn't cover his ears.

A couple of rows behind him, Gabriella smiled discreetly. Her song was much cleaner, and not as flashy. She could see Mrs. Darbus putting a finger up to her ear, as if she was trying to block out the sound.

Their friends had also come to watch the auditions. But in the doorway, Sharpay fainted, Kelsi gasped, Taylor and Chad just stood there with their mouths open, Jason covered his ears, and Zeke tried to revive his girlfriend, while Ryan just turned away from the sight.

_Typical  
Hardly the type I fall for  
I like when the physical  
Don't leave me asking for more  
I'm a sexy mama (mama)  
Who knows just how to get what I wanna (wanna)  
What I want to do is spring this on you (on you)  
Back up all of the things that I told you (told you) _

You've been saying all the right things all night long  
But I can't seem to get you over here to help take this off  
Baby, can't you see? (see)  
How these clothes are fitting on me (me)  
And the heat coming from this beat (beat)  
I'm about to blow  
I don't think you know

I'm telling you loosen up my buttons baby (Uh huh)  
But you keep fronting (Uh)  
Saying what you going do to me (_Uh huh)  
But I ain't seen nothing (Uh)_

Bianca kept swaggering across the stage, pausing often to lift her arms above her head and shake her butt to the audience. What she didn't see was that Troy closed his eyes everytime, refusing to look at the disgusting sight.

_You say you're a big boy  
But I can't agree  
'Cause the love you said you had  
Ain't been put on me  
I wonder (wonder)  
If I'm just too much for you  
Wonder (wonder)  
If my kiss don't make you just  
Wonder (wonder)  
What I got next for you  
What you want to do? (do) _

Take a chance to recognize that this could be yours  
I can see, just like most guys that your game don't please  
Baby, can't you see? (see)  
How these clothes are fitting on me (me)  
And the heat coming from this beat (beat)  
I'm about to blow  
I don't think you know

I'm telling you loosen up my buttons baby (Uh huh)  
But you keep fronting (Uh)  
Saying what you going do to me (Uh huh)  
But I ain't seen nothing (Uh)

Meanwhile, Sharpay had come to, and was begging, "Please don't let her get a part! Anyone, even Gabriella, but her!"

Kelsi moaned. "She'll totally ruin the songs I wrote!"

Taylor just said, "Ew."

The boys kept their eyes shut and their backs to the stage.

_I'm telling you loosen up my buttons baby (Uh huh)  
But you keep fronting (Uh)  
Saying what you going do to me (Uh huh)  
But I ain't seen nothing (Uh) _

Come on baby, loosen up my buttons babe  
Loosen up my buttons babe  
Baby, won't you loosen up my buttons babe?  
Loosen up my buttons babe

Come on baby, loosen up my buttons babe  
Loosen up my buttons babe  
Baby, won't you loosen up my buttons babe?  
Loosen up my buttons babe

I'm telling you loosen up my buttons baby (Uh huh)  
But you keep fronting (Uh)  
Saying what you going do to me (Uh huh)  
But I ain't seen nothing (Uh)

I'm telling you loosen up my buttons baby (Uh huh)  
But you keep fronting (Uh)  
Saying what you going to do to me (Uh huh)  
But I ain't seen nothing (Uh)  
I'm telling you loosen up my buttons baby (Uh huh)  
But you keep fronting (Uh)  
Saying what you going to do to me (Uh huh)  
But I ain't seen nothing (Uh)

I'm telling you loosen up my buttons baby (Uh huh)  
But you keep fronting (Uh)  
Saying what you going to do to me (Uh huh)  
But I ain't seen nothing (Uh)

Bianca finally finished, only to hear the most reluctant of applause. She pouted and put her nose in the air, then walked off the stage. Approaching Troy, she made a move to sit in his lap, but he pushed her away.

"Er...thank you, Miss Sheppard," Mrs. Darbus said awkwardly. Lifting the sign-up sheet, she made a note on her clipboard. Then she called out, "Next: Gabriella Montez!"

Amid the cheers of her friends, Gabriella stood up and walked to the stage. Troy watched her every move, curious to hear what she would sing.

She walked up onto the stage, and sat on the stool that had been set up for her. Gabriella took the microphone in both hands, took a deep breath, and waited for the track to start.

A lonely, haunting banjo _twang_ rang out, followed by a wailing violin. Looking up, Gabriella saw that Sarah had taken a seat in the auditorium, and was giving her a thumbs-up. Taking a deep breath, Gabriella opened her mouth to sing, her voice taking on a country accent.

_I want him, but he don't want me.  
He wants somebody else that I cain't be.  
And she's got a man that she wants to leave  
'Cause he cain't seem to make her happy._

_Does it have to be wrong, to make it feel right?  
Tell me why...ain't nobody...satisfied._

_Old man lookin' at a photograph of a love  
That's long gone from his past.  
And his wife's got a letter that she cain't read  
From a boy who never came back from the sea.  
All the secrets and lies we hide deep inside._

_Does it have to be wrong, to make it feel right?  
Tell me why...ain't nobody...satisfied._

Everyone was spellbound by Gabriella's song. Almost everybody found some way to identify with the song. Gabriella poured out her pain caused by Troy's rejection in the first two lines. Bianca thought she was psychic, because she had seemed to read her thoughts. Bianca **had** been thinking about leaving Troy, because he was getting boring.

Troy felt that he was the old man, because he always looked at the pictures taken of him and Gabriella when they were together. And Mrs. Darbus remembered an old letter from an adolescent love that was sitting in one of her many trinket boxes.

Gabriella's friends had taken seats, and were just staring at Gabriella, amazed that she could sing a country song so well. Sarah just smiled knowingly.

_See that man walkin' down the street,  
Yeah, what are the odds he's the one for me?  
And what if I pass him by, and he's got the  
Love I need?  
Yeah, yeah, yeah._

Gabriella grinned inside as she hit the highest note in the song, amid the cheers of the small audience.

_Tell me why...ain't nobody...satisfied._

_I want him, but he don't want me.  
He wants somebody else that I cain't be.  
And she's got a man that she wants to leave  
'Cause he cain't seem to make her happy.  
See that man walkin' down the street,  
Yeah, what are the odds he's the one for me?  
And what if I pass him by, and he's got the  
Love I need._

Smiling, Gabriella got off the stool and curtsied. She was greeted with thunderous applause, and Troy was clapping the loudest of all. Sweeping her gaze across the students, she suddenly cast her eyes down when she met Troy's stare. Walking up the aisle, she paused for a moment for her friends, who congratulated her on a great audition. Then she left the auditorium, much to Troy's dispair.

Turning back in his seat, Troy was dumbstruck. What if Gabriella had picked that song for a reason? What if she sang it to tell him that she wasn't going to wait for him anymore? What if she was ready to move on?

* * *

**Author's Note: Wow..this is probably the longest chapter I've written. Oooh...Troy's confused!**

**Anyway, the song Bianca sang was "Buttons" by the Pussycat Dolls. And Gabriella sang "Satisfied" by Ashley Monroe.**

**I based Sarah off of one of my reviewers, my biggest supporter in this story. Here's the walk-on role I was telling you about! ;)**

**I hope you all liked the chapter!**


	10. Troy's Discovery

**_Featured Review:_**

_All I have to say, is: perfect. Like, really. The story is so easily well written, like, really. The mental image I get when I read the story is so well defined, its like, and I don't know if I've mentioned this before, but like a movie playing in my mind. It should so totally be a movie. Wait, did I say that in the last review? Oh, I can't remember. But truly, the characters' personalities are so well put into the story, it practically stuns me. And I find it hysterical how Bianca acts. Its so typical of her type of character to perform that sort of audition, and the reactions of the other characters made me laugh out loud. Haha. There isn't one thing I would change about this story. It's probably in my top three favorite stories list. Great job, and keep up the fantastic work! I can't wait for more:) **StarInHeaven1014**_

**A big thanks to the following reviewers of **Chapter 9 - Spring Musicale Auditions: _Bea14, CassieLovesRyne, Zanessa Fan, foreverlily, Leah, Rachel, xoxo-jeniie-xoxo, shoppinfreak, mini princess93, HighSchoolMusicalLover1, Phoenix Feather Queen, lovetoread17, LuvHighSchoolMusical, RB140990, Oliverwoodschic, luvokemo,_ **_StrengthtoBelieve, heavensent0214, Randomly SmuRfy, angel at sight devil at heart, _**-**_DuHsoHaRDCOrE-HaRDCOrE X3-, xfunkyxfr3shx, _**and especially**_ Pinkninja83, StarInHeaven 1014, breaking freexx, __your average tEEn _**and **_MadiWillow_**

**---**

**Title: Because I Loved Him**

**Summary: A new girl comes to East High, and vows to get a certain basketball captain. When she finally attracts his attention, he leaves Gabriella to be with her. But will he realize who his true soulmate is?**

* * *

Chapter 10

Mrs. Darbus took a while to recover from Gabriella's stunning performance. Lifting up the sheet, she made a note, then called out, "Next audition: Troy Bolton!"

Standing up, Troy strode to the stage. But while he was on the stairs, the bell rang, signaling the end of free period and the beginning of lunch. "Auditions will continue tomorrow!" Mrs. Darbus said. Jumping down, he breezed past Bianca and out of the auditorium.

---

_"You think that no one can see past the sweet-girl façade that you put on. You think that everyone believes you really do love Troy. But I can see past people. I saw past the basketball-boy face that Troy put on, and saw someone completely different. And it's the same story with you!"_

Taylor stood next to the television, looking out at her friends. Everyone's mouths were hanging open and their eyes were bulging. They had just seen the video that the Science Club had made of Gabriella's fight with Bianca.

"Oh my god," Sharpay gasped.

Kelsi looked sad. "Poor Gabriella."

"Dude! There is no way she can treat Gabriella like that and get away with it!" Chad exclaimed.

"She already thinks she has," Ryan said sadly.

Zeke smashed his fist into his palm. "We have got to show that tape to Troy. He told me once that he hates people that act like they're better than everyone else."

Jason broke in. "Yeah, and that he can't stand people that put others down."

Taylor looked to be deep in thought. "Gabriella was like, completely destroyed when Troy dumped her. And Troy thought he was happy with Bianca, but now he seems to doubt it. Did you see how he treated her in the auditions today?" The group nodded.

Sharpay had a sudden memory. "Guys, I just remembered. Have you noticed that Bianca leaves every day halfway through lunch?" Everyone nodded. "Well, I followed her once. She goes to the Supply Closet on the third floor, and doesn't come out until the period ends."

Grimacing, Chad processed this. "If she's doing what I think she's doing, then she is totally screwed." The gang shuddered.

"Troy and Gabriella have to get back together. It's what's best for both of them," Kelsi mused.

"But we have to start by showing the tape to Troy!" Zeke exclaimed.

Chad was puzzled. "But when?"

Ryan stared up at the ceiling, pondering when was the best time to show Troy the tape. "Well, it's lunch now. Troy has basketball practice after school, and Taylor and Gabriella have the Science Club meetings. But they all end around 4:00, so we can show it to him then!"

"Uh, guys, I think that's already been taken care of," Taylor interrupted.

"Huh?" Jason asked. Taylor merely pointed towards the doorway of the science classroom.

Troy was standing there, his face white, and his eyes wide.

---

"Oh my god!" Troy whispered. He had just seen the videotape again, and he couldn't get Bianca's stinging words out of his mind. "Oh my god," he repeated. "How could I ever love something like that?"

Chad was standing behind Troy, and patted him on the back. "Troy, none of us knew fully until Taylor showed us the tape."

"Wait, you guys knew? And you didn't tell me? Since when?"

Sharpay sighed. "Troy, we knew ever since Gabriella left the cafeteria on the first day you started going out with Bianca. It was so obvious; she called Gabriella a 'sad wannabe.' We though you knew!"

"But I didn't…I should have known! I was her boyfriend, and I didn't see her other side..." Troy trailed off, suddenly remembering Gabriella's chilling last words to him before he walked out: _Troy, remember...there are two-faced people in this world. But it takes a strong person to see behind the façade that they put on._

"How could I have been so blind?" Tears were pouring down his face now. "She really was looking out for me," he whispered. "But I was too stubborn to see it. And Bianca was such a witch to Gabriella...I should have been there for her!" he finished angrily. Troy pushed back his chair so hard that it fell backwards to the floor. He rushed out of the door, with the gang on his heels.

Troy ran up the stairs like a madman. He barely noticed the pressure on his legs and chest as he sprinted, his friends pausing to stop and catch their breaths. When he reached the third floor, he slowed down slightly, but only to read the signs on the doors.

He finally came to the Supply Closet. Yanking it open, he gasped at what he saw. When the gang caught up to him, they gasped too, and turned away.

Bianca was in the closet, passionately kissing the captain of the soccer team, Mike Vanguard.

"What the _hell_ are you doing?" Troy roared. Bianca shrieked, jerking away from Mike as if he had the flu. "You're cheating on me, with him?" he asked incredulously.

"No, it's not my fault! He dragged me in here!" Bianca whimpered pathetically.

Sharpay snorted. "He didn't. You've been coming here everyday for the past two weeks!"

Bianca sagged. She knew that she'd been caught. But she wasn't going down without a stinging retort. "You know, Blondie's right--" Sharpay winced at the nickname, "I _have_ been coming here for the past two weeks. And I _have _been seeing Mike behind your back!"

Troy looked like he had been slapped. She continued, "You know, it's not as exciting as I thought it would be, having the most popular guy in school as my boyfriend. But it's so obvious; you still love Gabriella. You never loved me!" She cackled. "And now, if you'll excuse us," she said, running a finger down Mike's neck. Bianca reached for the doorknob and pulled it closed.

Chad looked confused. "Wait, did she just dump him?" Taylor smacked him on the back of the head.

"Now that was nasty!" Ryan exclaimed. Zeke and Jason murmured their agreement.

But Troy had this odd look on her face. "She's right. I still do love Gabriella. I still loved her!

"But how am I going to tell her this. She won't believe me...not after I acted like such a jerk to her," he finished, his happy attitude shattered.

Kelsi came to the rescue. Pulling a sheet of music out of her bag, she handed it to Troy. "Sing this at the auditions tomorrow. We'll make sure Gabriella hears it."

---

"Taylor, why are you dragging me to the auditions? I tried out already!" Gabriella whined as Taylor pulled her towards the auditorium.

"Well, you might want to check out your competition!"

"No! I just want to go to the library!"

Taylor shook her head firmly. "Gabriella, you've practically been living in that library for the past month. Now, you're going to stay here, or so help me, I _will_ kick you out of the Science Club!" Gabriella's eyes widened, and Taylor grinned. She pushed her friend into an auditorium seat, and sat down next to her.

A few minutes later, the rest of the gang came into the auditorium. Sharpay took the seat on Gabriella's other side, and Kelsi sat behind her. The boys took the rows behind them.

Gabriella noticed that Troy was also sitting with them. But he slouched down and stuffed his hands into his pockets, looking melancholy. The brunette pushed the basketball player out of her mind, and turned back to face the stage. Leaning over to Sharpay, she said, "Hey Shar, are you and Ryan auditioning?"

"Nope!" the blonde replied. Gabriella stared at her, as if the real Sharpay had gone off and left a clone. "We decided that others deserved it more than we did."

"Okay..."

The gang sat back and watched a few auditions, ones that were mostly horrible. But then Mrs. Darbus called out, "Next audition: Troy Bolton!" Troy got up and walked towards the stage, taking the microphone and staring out into the audience. As a track began to play, Troy opened his mouth to sing.

_Listen girl, I don't know where to start  
But every word I say comes straight from the heart  
I've been so wrong  
I never meant to hurt you  
Oh girl, I'm sorry  
For what I put you through  
Girl, I'd do anything  
For one more chance (one more chance)  
'Cause I want you back again (want you back)_

_'Cause everytime I close my eyes  
I see your face and I wonder  
When you close your eyes  
Do you think about me?  
Now I realize  
I want you girl and no other  
Everytime I close my eyes  
You're all that I see _

_You and I shared a life together  
Each other, was all we'd ever need (all we'd ever need)  
I thought you would stay with me forever  
But I took for granted  
The love you gave to me  
I keep on tryin' (keep on tryin')  
'Til the end ('til the end)  
Baby I need you back with me again (I need you back)_

The gang looked at Gabriella's face, to see if she had forgiven Troy. But she had this blank expression on her face, giving none of her emotions away.

_'Cause everytime I close my eyes  
I see your face and I wonder  
When you close your eyes  
Do you think about me?  
Now I realize  
I want you girl and no other  
Everytime I close my eyes  
You're all that I see _

_And girl I'm goin' out of my mind  
I miss you so much  
I don't know what to do (what to do)  
Please say it's just a matter of time  
Until I feel your touch  
Until you let me come back to you I'm in love with you _

_I think about you girl every night  
I'm in love and it feels so right  
I never meant to hurt you or cause you pain  
I was just caught up in that lying game  
But now those days are over  
I've changed my ways  
And now I'm countin' the minutes  
I'm countin' the days  
Until you let me come back  
Until you let me start  
To find a new way to get back into your heart _

_Girl I'd do anything for one more chance (one more chance)  
'Cause I want you  
I want you back again (I want you back) _

_'Cause everytime I close my eyes  
I see your face and I wonder  
When you close your eyes  
Do you think about me?  
Now I realize  
I want you girl and no other  
Everytime I close my eyes  
You're all that I see._

Troy finished the song and inhaled deeply. His friends applauded loudly, but he could see that Gabriella was sitting with her arms folded across her chest. She didn't exactly look forgiving...more like _furious_.

Gabriella got up from her seat and started to stalk out of the auditorium. Troy jumped off the stage and ran to her. He caught up in five long strides, grabbed her arm, and turned her around.

"Let go of me, Troy!" she cried, yanking her arm away.

He stared back at her with hurt in his blue eyes. She continued on, "I know what you're trying to do, Troy, and it won't work!"

"Gabriella, I was a complete jerk to you. I ignored you, I treated you like dirt, and I wasn't there to comfort you when you needed it."

"Oh wow. You finally get it!" she sneered.

Troy was shocked. Gabriella never acted like this with him. "Look, Gabriella, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I left you, I'm sorry I went out with Bianca, and I'm sorry I started this whole mess!"

"And what am I supposed to do?"

"I came to ask you to take me back..."

Gabriella exploded. "Troy! Did you not get the message in my song yesterday? I'm _over_ you! I've moved on already!"

Troy looked over to his friends for support, but they had turned away, pretending not to listen. He sighed, knowing that he was on his own. "Gabriella, I said I'm sorry. And I promise, I won't break your heart again. I'll always be there for you--"

"That's what you said to me last time!" Gabriella was crying now. "You said you wouldn't leave me! You promised not to hurt me! But you did! And how do I know that you won't do it again?" she shrieked.

He was speechless. Gabriella spun around on her heel and ran out of the auditorium. Troy reached out his hand for her, as if she was a butterfly that he could catch in his palm.

"Dude! Go after her!" Chad yelled. Troy jerked, then sprinted out of the auditorium door. He looked for Gabriella in the halls, and finally found her sitting on a bench. Troy started to walk over to her, but then someone else rushed over and sat next to her. Craning his neck, Troy saw that it was Ty Reinhart, the captain of the football team. He opened his mouth to yell for Ty to go away, but the words died in his throat as he watched Ty slide an arm around Gabriella's waist and kiss her cheeks, wiping the tears away.

**

* * *

**

**Author's Note: Alright, I know many of you have been asking if another boy can show interest in Gabriella. There it is!**

**I've already got Troy and Gabriella's karaoke songs picked out, as well as another surprise one.**

**Anyway, the song Troy sang was "Everytime I Close My Eyes" by The Backstreet Boys.**

**I hope you all enjoyed the chapter, because I certainly enjoyed writing it. I got so inspired that I got to update earlier than planned!**

**Princesse de la Plume**


	11. Memories

**_Featured Review:_**

_Wow. Truly, there may be no other way to put it. Though I was not expecting this...and, strongly, hoping no more obstacles would push Gabriella and Troy apart...this story has taken on a mind of its own. Everything leaves me hanging...and wanting more. I give you props for everything you have written. It's all amazing. **soaringinlove**_

**Thank you to the following reviewers of **Chapter 10 - Troy's Discovery: _foreverlily, barikaandzac, maria-b3l3n, Zanessa Fan, iluvhsm2death117, suleima hernandez, Riddle-Me-That, Leah, LissaPadfootLuvr, larabaybee, carito06, RB140990, zanessaforever, luvokemo, bayxbay, CassieLovesRyne, LuvHighSchoolMusical, mylifeismine, anon., ReadingLord94, **Anne, Waterbeautygoddess, xfunkyxfr3shx, angel at sight devil at heart, Randomly SmuRfy, Brishty, soaringinlove,**_ and especially **_heavensent0214, StarInHeaven1014, Hopeless Wanderer, Pinkninja83, breaking freexx_**, and **_MadiWillow_**

**---**

**Title: Because I Loved Him**

**Summary: A new girl comes to East High, and vows to get a certain basketball captain. When she finally attracts his attention, he leaves Gabriella to be with her. But will he realize who his true soulmate is?**

* * *

Chapter 11

_You'll never know, what you've done for me  
What your faith in me, has done for my soul_

Troy was walking down his block, kicking a pebble. He was slouched over with his hands stuffed in his pockets. Memories of him and Gabriella flashed through his mind like a movie.

_Gabriella had her back to him, staring out at the Albuquerque sky. She was standing on a hill, the wind blowing softly through her brown hair. Creeping up, Troy grabbed her around the waist and swung her around, laughing as he listened to her laugh. _

_"Oh my god, Troy! Put me down!" she squealed. When he obliged, she slapped his arm, whining, "That wasn't funny!" _

_"Yes it was." He sat down and pulled her hand, causing her to go down with him. She sat between his legs, leaning back on his chest. Lifting her hair, he pressed a kiss to her neck, enjoying her shiver. _

_"Troy?" she asked quietly._

_"Yeah?"_

_"I love you." _

_Troy lifted his hand to her chin, and turned her around to face him. He leaned in, meeting her lips with his own. Gabriella sighed, welcoming his feather-soft kiss. When he pulled away, he stared into her eyes, "I love you too."_

He had promised to love her as long as the stars shone, and had promised that nothing would come between them. She had vowed that they would always be together, no matter how much the world tried to break them apart.

_After they had finished up the last night of **Twinkle Towne**, after their stage makeup had been scrubbed off and their costumes hung back on the racks, they had met outside of the auditorium._

_"Hey," Troy said softly. He looked at her angelic face and felt his breath hitch when she met his eyes with hers. _

_"Do I know you?" she asked cheekily. They both chuckled. _

_Troy pulled Gabriella into a hug, relishing the feel of her petite body resting against his. "You were amazing out there," he whispered into her ear. _

_Looking up, Gabriella smiled softly. "You really think so?"_

_"I know so." Troy bent down as she reached up, and their lips touched. His arms snaked around her waist, while her hand came up to his cheek, pulling him closer. _

_They broke apart, grinning like fools. The sound of applause met their ears, and they turned around to see their friends looking at them. A joyful expression was plastered on all of their faces. _

And of course, he had entirely gone back on that promise by breaking up with her for Bianca. Gabriella was his better half; she completed him. Before he met her, he was just a basketball jock who never even glanced at anyone besides his teammates. But once she came into his life, he became warmer and kinder to everyone around him. She taught him to be completely confident in whatever he did, no matter what everyone else thought about it. He learned that it was all right to break out of stereotypes, all because of her.

_You'll never know the gift you've given me  
I'll carry it with me_  
_Through the days ahead, I think of days before  
You made me hope for something better,  
And made me reach for something more._

Bianca—the name made Troy shudder. What did he ever see in her? He guessed that his male hormones had completely taken over then; they smothered the feelings he had for Gabriella, and made him attracted to flashy, flirty Bianca. Gabriella wasn't like that. She was simple and sweet, caring and kind.

_Troy and Bianca were at his house, doing homework. Everytime he looked at her, the strange feeling that he used to feel around her was absent from his stomach. _

_Struggling with her history homework, Bianca finally gave up and flung her pen down. "I can't get this!" she whined. "Troy, will you help me?" she asked, looking at him with pleading eyes. _

_"Uh, sure," Troy said uncertainly. He slid his chair over, and looked at the sheet in front of her. His back started to ache; he wasn't exactly in the most comfortable position. He was trying to get a view of her homework, while also trying to stay as far away from her as possible. _

_Alas, he failed. As he tried to explain to her the importance of democracy in the world, he felt her arm wrap around his shoulders and pull him towards her. When he looked at her to see if she understood, he saw Bianca staring at him, a smoldering look in her eye. Troy held back a gagging expression as she leaned in and whispered, "I have such a smart boyfriend." She licked his ear, mistaking his disgusted shiver for pleasure. "And sexy too." Troy cringed. _

**_Gabriella was never like this, _**_he found himself thinking. **She never acted so...slutty. She was always so shy and cautious. Wait, does this mean that I still like Gabriella? 'Cause I can't...I'm with Bianca now.**_

After that, Troy had banished the thought from his mind. But for the remainder of his relationship with Bianca, he always found himself making comparisons between her and Gabriella. And then when he found Bianca in the closet, it was suddenly clear. He'd never actually loved Bianca, just had an insane crush on her. But the person he was truly meant to be with was Gabriella.

_You taught me to run, you taught me to fly  
Helped me to free the me inside  
Help me hear the music of my heart, help me hear the music of my heart  
You've opened my eyes, you've opened the door  
To something I've never known before, and your love  
Is the music of my heart._

There were times where they would pass each other in the halls. Troy would be walking to one class, with Bianca's nasal voice constantly in his ear. Suddenly, he would hear her hiss like a cat, and look up to see Gabriella coming towards them. As they neared, Troy's mouth would open to say something. But once their eyes locked, Gabriella would stare down at the floor and hurry past, leaving Troy looking like an idiot.

"Ew...Troy!" Bianca would snap. "Close your mouth! You look like a fish!"

Troy snapped back to reality. He saw that the pebble was still by his right toe. Suddenly, Bianca's face appeared on the tiny rock. Troy drew back his right foot and kicked the pebble with all of his strength. It flew up in the air, then curved and landed on the opposite side of the street, skittering to a stop on the sidewalk.

_You were the one always on my side  
Always standing by seeing me through  
You were the song that always made me sing  
I'm singing this for you_

Sometimes he wondered where he would be without Gabriella. Sure, he knew that he would still be an air-headed basketball jock, an average student, and one content person. But she was his biggest supporter, and she changed him in ways that he never knew possible. She made him into a new person, one that was warmer and more in tune to others around him. Her tutoring and passion for learning inspired him to become a better student, and now he was one of the top students in his class (besides Gabriella and Taylor, of course). Once she helped him discover his hidden love for singing, he realized that while his life had been priveleged and happy, that he had been missing a few things; singing and music, and Gabriella.

_Everywhere I go, I think of where I've been  
And of the one who knew me better  
Than anyone ever will again_

Troy felt at times that she knew him better than he knew himself. When they were preparing for the musical, she knew about his apprehension regarding the school's reaction. She understood that they were doing something completely unexpected from them, and she felt the same pressure, the same fear of failing. But she was strong, and she withstood the load of both the musical and her schoolwork, and Troy followed her example.

_One week before opening night, Mrs. Darbus had just held their most intensive rehearsal yet. She had kept them from 3:30 in the afternoon until 10:00 that night. Even though everyone was yawning as they ran through the play, she made them repeat every single line until it was said exactly the way she wanted it. She made the stage crew run through every set-up, until she was positive that nothing would go wrong. _

_Troy was stuffing his script into his backpack, while Gabriella was going over the books she was carrying, making sure that she had everything she needed for homework._

_"Gabriella?" She stopped shuffling through the books and looked up at him._

_"Yeah?"_

_"Do you think we can do this?" Gabriella smiled, knowing that he was nervous. She sat down next to him and took his hand in hers._

_"Yes, I do," she replied slowly. "Why do you ask?"_

_Troy sighed. "Well, it's just that East High has never experienced something like this before. A jock and a brain never tried out for the school musical. The drama kids never interacted with anything else. But now, everything's been reset, and it's a little frightening."_

_Gabriella raised one eyebrow. Taking a deep breath, he continued, "I'm not so sure I want to do this anymore."_

_Her expression fell. "Why?"_

_"Because there's so much pressure on us. I have to keep my grades up, attend all of these rehearsals, and I have basketball practice like everyday, because there's regionals coming up soon. I—" his voice broke, "I don't know if I can do it all."_

_Gabriella smiled gently. Leaning forward, she hugged Troy, and rested her chin on his shoulder. "I'm scared too. I have just as much stuff as you do." When she said this, Troy immediately felt guilty for forgetting that she had other commitments too. "But we've come so far already. And I'll always be here for you, whenever you need to unload."_

_Troy pulled away and smiled back. _

**_You taught me to run, you taught me to fly  
Helped me to free the me inside  
Help me hear the music of my heart, help me hear the music of my heart  
You've opened my eyes, you've opened the door  
To something I've never known before  
And your love is the music of my heart_**

Even though Troy had had his share of girlfriends before Gabriella came, he'd never actually loved anyone. He'd just gone out with them because they wouldn't stop hanging around him, and he felt bad for leading them on. But he had never actually experienced what it felt like to love someone.

Troy wasn't exactly one to believe in soul mates, but he really felt that Gabriella was his. Although he thought that he had been happy with Bianca, he realized now that he was totally miserable. He had none of the tender moments that he shared with Gabriella, and Bianca had none of the understanding and compassion that Gabriella possessed. Whenever he was around her, Troy felt happy and carefree. It was as if she took away all of his troubles, and made them easier to deal with.

_What you taught me, only your love could ever teach me  
You got through when no one could reach me  
'Cause you always saw in me all the best that I could be  
It was you who set me free_

Troy needed Gabriella back. But now that she had moved on, he was facing an uphill battle. She had a new boyfriend now, and had all but forgotten about him. He didn't know how he would do it, but he would find a way to win her heart again.

_You taught me to run, you taught me to fly  
Helped me to free the me inside  
Help me hear the music of my heart, help me hear the music of my heart  
You've opened my eyes, you've opened the door  
To something I've never known before  
And your love, is the music of my heart._

* * *

**Author's Note: I finally finished this chapter! Yay! haha...**

**I certainly had a great time writing this chapter. It was fun to create all of Troy's memories with Gabriella.**

**The song that I used within this chapter is "Music of My Heart" by NSYNC and Gloria Estefan.**

**I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Please leave a review, I greatly appreciate them.**

**Princesse de la Plume**


	12. Secret Rehearsals

**_Featured Review:_**

_Okay, I just spent the past hour reading this fic straight through, and I must say it's really well written. You really do have a great writing style; and I see this the only story you're writing/written? Well kudos for you! It's beyond fantastic and all other great words that I can't think of. And I saw you're searching for the best type of fanfic for you? Well, I would definitely say this is it; or at least one of them. Don't quote me on that, because I mean, for all I know, you could be even better at tragedies or angst fics; and then you'd be like my idol. Not to say that you're not now, lol. Seriously though, this fic is really great. It kept me from doing my homework...which I desperately need to start now. But I'm really sorry I haven't found this sooner; I'm sure I would've reviewed every chapter it was so great. So, please update soon, because I will be waiting patiently for one! XD. **Promise.Me.Forever**_

**Thanks to the following reviewers of **Chapter 11 - Memories: _foreverlily, GDgirl1993, DYLAN SPROUSE LOVER, carito06, stargazer, LuvHighSchoolMusical, Gabriela, Leah, AriaGothique, Sharron, shanabob, princessstarfire, puppylove223223, xoxo-jeniie-xoxo, Cas'n'Tiffyroxx,_ _RB140990_,_mimi101, _**_xfunkyxfr3shx, waterbeautygoddess, Brenda -The One And Only Me-, heavensent0214, steelerfan4ever, angel at sight devil at heart, Rachel, x.angel.wiings.x_,** **_Brishty, Randomly SmuRfy, _**and especially **_Promise.Me.Forever, Bacetti - Jolie xoxo, your average tEEn, soaringinlove, MadiWillow, _**and **_breaking freexx_**.

**---**

**Title: Because I Loved Him**

**Summary: A new girl comes to East High, and vows to get a certain basketball captain. When she finally attracts his attention, he leaves Gabriella to be with her. But will he realize who his true soulmate is?**

* * *

Chapter 12

Chad, Ryan, Zeke, and Jason crept into the music room, where the girls were already waiting. Kelsi was hastily scribbling something on a sheet of paper, while Taylor and Sharpay looked on eagerly. Sarah was there too, an acoustic guitar in her hands.

"Kelsi, are you done yet?" Sharpay whimpered.

"Almost done...there!" Kelsi leaned back, a content smile on her face. "Are the guys here yet?"

"Right here!" Zeke waved his hand up in the air.

"Good!" Kelsi started handing out copies of music to everyone.

Jason looked worried. "Uh, Kelsi, will I actually have to _sing_ certain lines from the song?" Jason asked uncertainly.

Kelsi chuckled. "Don't worry about that. You'll just be singing the chorus, in order to help the others harmonize." Jason had a confused expression on his face. "It means you'll just be singing backup!" she said, exasperated.

Sharpay was flipping through the music. "Hey, Kels, this is a great song!" The rest of the group agreed.

They spent the next 45 minutes learning the song. It was after school on Monday, and they planned to perform Friday evening, meaning that they had four days to get it perfect. But they needed a minimum of two days to work out the details on how they were going to present it.

Finally, they got to the point that they could run through the piece.

"Okay, so everybody knows when to come in, how to read the notes, what pitches to hit, and how count their rests, right?" Kelsi asked.

She was answered with a loud, "Yes!"

"Alright!" Kelsi walked over to the piano and sat down. She placed her fingers lightly on the keys, but didn't play. Catching Sarah's eye, she gave a tiny nod.

Chords began to flow off of Sarah's fingers like water from a fountain. As she strummed the strings, her nimble fingers moved up and down the frets, creating heavenly notes and a light, breathy melody.

A few measures later, Kelsi began to press down on the piano keys, adding her own sound. Piano and guitar flowed together for one fleeting moment, before Kelsi gave a cue to Ryan.

_You've been searching the world to find true love.  
Looking in all the wrong places..._

---

Bianca walked to cheerleading practice, with her nose in the air and her head high. As she strode towards the bench, she could hear the other girls whispering feverishly. She placed her bag down, then spun around and placed her hands on her hips.

"Well, what are you staring at?" she snapped. The rest of the squad looked down and avoided her glare.

They were saved from a very possible death by the entrance of the cheer captain. She clapped her hands together and called out, "Alright, girls! We're going to start off with flips and cartwheels, and then we'll be throwing!"

The squad lined up, and every time the captain blew her whistle, three of them would start back flipping and cart wheeling across the mats. Bianca had a haughty expression on her face when she completed her perfectly executed routine.

Several flips and jumps later, the cheerleaders took a break. As Bianca was sipping her water, two brave girls came up to her and said, "Why'd you do it?"

Bianca decided to pretend to be the dumb blonde. "Do what?"

"Cheat on Troy Bolton." This last bit was said pretty loudly. The rest of the girls clustered around her, desperate to know why she had done such a thing to the most popular guy in school.

Bianca basked in the attention she was getting. She relaxed, and said lazily, "Because he was getting boring and I needed more excitement."

Someone muttered, "Slut."

Before Bianca could fire back, the captain blew her whistle again. "Okay girls, now we're going to start throwing! Everybody pair up: one base, and one flyer!" The girls quickly paired off. Bianca was left with the weakest base of the group, Mauvai.

As Bianca stepped onto Mauvai's interwoven hands, she hissed, "You'd better not drop me."

The captain blew her whistle again, and Mauvai threw Bianca into the air. She did a couple of flips and spins, then prepared herself to land. Bianca closed her eyes, fully expecting Mauvai to catch her.

What she didn't expect was to hit the mat...hard. She heard the sickening crack of breaking bones, and saw the girls crowd around her before passing out.

---

"No, no, no!" Kelsi cried for the fifteenth time. "Chad, you're coming in too early! And Zeke, you're flat!" The boys shifted uneasily.

"Go easy on them, Kelsi. We're all tired," Taylor said.

Kelsi's expression softened. "Alright, sorry. Chad, when you come in, watch for my cue, okay?" He nodded. "And Zeke, just remember that you have to go higher, got it?"

"Got it."

"Sarah, that was beautiful. Think you could play like that again?"

"No problem." Sarah set her fingers and waited for her cue. At Kelsi's nod, she started to play again, while Kelsi started pressing down on the piano keys.

"Okay Chad, you're up in 3...2...1," Kelsi said. She lifted her left hand and pointed at Chad.

_You've been down on yourself thinkin' something's a-wrong.  
Wonderin' why love has never found you..._

_---_

Troy was walking down the East High hallways, still wrapped up in memories of Gabriella.

_They were both at the library. Gabriella was doing research for a project, while Troy was...not. He had a textbook open, and a pencil in his hand, but the math problems he was supposed to be working on weren't computing themselves in his head. His thoughts weren't filled with integers, like terms, and variables._

_Instead, they were occupied by her._

_Troy stared at her; fascinated by the way she seemed so absorbed by the book she was reading. His eyes trailed from her smooth forehead, to her sparkling eyes, over her delicate nose, and down to her lips. He loved the way that her hair curled in such a way that it cupped her face, something that he longed to do now._

_She looked up at him and caught his eye, then blushed when she realized that he had been staring at her. Troy quickly ducked his head and glanced at his textbook. He swiftly wrote down the first thing that popped into his mind, and heard her chuckle at his pathetic attempt to hide the fact that he hadn't done any work for the past thirty minutes. _

_Her laugh was like the tinkling of bells in a summer breeze; he was immediately distracted by it. But then he was brought back to earth when she snapped her fingers in front of her face. He saw that she had stood up and moved to stand right next to him._

_"Have you done _any_ work for the past half an hour?" she asked._

_"Of course." He puffed out his chest proudly. "I've been working hard on these equations."_

_Gabriella raised one eyebrow. "Working hard, or hardly working?"_

_Troy scoffed, pretending to be offended. "Working hard, of course! It's what us Bolton's do best!"_

_"Uh huh," she said, not convinced. "Then show me your paper."_

_"Uh..." Troy quickly looked down at his paper, and then paled when he saw what he had written on it. "Sorry, that's not possible."_

_"And why not?"_

_"Because..." Troy searched for an answer. "Because you just can't," he finished lamely. _

_She laughed. "Wow. That was a pretty solid reason, Troy."_

_"Thank you. Thank you very much," Troy said deeply, pretending to imitate Elvis._

_Gabriella reached for the paper. He moved it away. She stretched her arm to grab it. Troy moved it even further away._

_"Can I please have it?"_

_Troy shook his head._

_"Fine," she said. Troy beamed and gloated, thinking that he had won. But then he took a look at her face..._

_Gabriella had cocked her head to one side, and allowed her hair to fall partially over her face. The lights from the library ceiling gleamed off of her silky brown hair, while her eyes glittered. Her bottom lip was stuck out as far as possible._

_Troy groaned and shut his eyes. . _I will not fall for it_, he chanted over and over in his head. But he cracked open one eye and stole a peek at her pouting face. _Uh oh, I'm falling for it_. He tried to stay strong...but he couldn't resist._

_Flipping the paper face down, he slid it over to her, with his face pointed in the other direction. He heard her squeal and felt her arms around his neck briefly, before she turned the paper over. _

_There, written on the lines, was: _Troy x Gabriella forever.

_Gabriella was silent for a moment. Troy turned his head back to look at her, wondering if he had done the wrong thing. He braced himself for a lecture on how he had wasted his time, when he could have been studying._

_But then something different happened. She brought her eyes up to match his questioning gaze. He saw that she had tears in her eyes. _

_"Thank you, Troy," she whispered. He was confused for a moment. But then all of his fears were dispelled when she leaned forward and kissed him gently._

_At first, Troy didn't know what to do. But then he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her down to sit on his lap, without breaking the kiss. Gabriella's hands ran up his chest, and then snaked around his neck, before burying in his hair. _

_They sat there, kissing, for what seemed like hours. But then, their lungs began to burn, and they pulled away, flushed and gasping for breath. Troy pulled her into a hug, burying his face in her slender neck. Her arms wrapped around his back, and her fingers drew random circles over his shirt. He turned his head to press a kiss to her skin, chuckling softly as she shivered. Then he whispered in her ear, "I love you."_

_She leaned back to smile at him, before replying, "I love you too."_

Suddenly, he snapped out of his memory when someone bumped into him. He saw that many of the students were rushing off in the direction of the football field, where the cheerleading team was practicing.

"What's happening?" he wondered aloud.

One of the running kids heard him. "Apparently, Bianca Sheppard fell. She was being thrown up into the air, but the girl that was supposed to catch her missed. I heard that she broke a leg and her arm." Then they dashed off.

---

_...To love..._

The gang cut off, listening to Sarah and Kelsi play, before adding one last _"Ooohh." _Then, guitar and piano chords came to a stop. Kelsi leaned back, while Sarah laid the guitar flat on her lap.

Everyone turned to look at Kelsi's reaction. They had finally ran through the song smoothly, without any mishaps. Kelsi was glowing, proud that her friends had pulled off one of her songs.

"Good job guys!" she said. The gang broke out into cheers.

---

"What should I do?" Gabriella asked. She was sitting in the school courtyard on a stone bench, with Ty next to her.

"Maybe you should talk to him."

"But I can't do that without thinking about what he did to me. He broke my heart once...and I don't want to be hurt again," she whispered. Tears began to fall down her cheeks. Ty wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close to him, so that her head was resting against his chest.

"If you don't, you'll never find out how he really feels. I have a good feeling he's feeling pretty stupid for dumping a girl like you for someone like Bianca," Ty said soothingly.

Gabriella shook her head. "I don't think I want to know."

"Gabriella, tell me. How did you feel when you were with him?"

She took a deep breath. "I...felt happy. And carefree. Like all of my problems were nothing big to worry about. He brought out the best in me..."

Ty nodded. "You still love him."

"No I don't!" she said. "I can't love him after what he did..."

"Well, I still say that you go and talk to him. And if anything goes wrong, you'll have me and the others to comfort you," Ty replied.

Gabriella pulled away to look at him. "Thanks, Ty." She pulled him into a hug.

He rubbed her back, embracing her warmly. "What are friends for?"

* * *

**Author's Note: Whoa! I'll bet a lot of you are confused. Don't worry, I would be too! I'll clear everything up in the next chapter.**

**I'm sorry, but I can't tell you what song I used...it's a secret...lol.**

**I'd love it if you left a review...I always like to know what my readers think.**

**See you next chapter!**

**Princesse de la Plume**


	13. Songs and a Hospital Visit

_**Featured Review:**_

_This story is truly amazing. Whenever I log onto Fanfiction and go to High School Musical this is the first story I hope to see updated. I love how you can put me in the characters' place and feel what they are feeling. You really made me hate Bianca because of what she's done. lol. I love these kinds of stories, but there are so few well-written ones out there. It amazes me how after 12 chapters, the story hasn't gotten boring, definitely not, it gets more exciting after every chapter! After I read every chapter, I am extremely impatient for another update. But then when I get an update and I see how amazing it is, then I know how long this must have taken you and how much of your spare time you take off to write this, and I'm so glad that you do. Your story is keeping me from doing my chores and getting ready..another reason to love your story and you! Thanks again for writing such an amazing story. **Jenny**_

**Thanks so much to the following reviewers of **Chapter 12 - Secret Rehearsals: _DYLAN SPROUSE LOVER, Leah, Wolfheart Dragonwing, puppylove223223_, _cammy, waterbeautygoddess, TutorWifeScott, Mel, CassieLovesRyne, luvokemo, foreverlily, Zanessa Fan, ImpactRed520, truth14, carito06, ElvenPrincess69, Aria Gothique, **Randomly SmuRfy, ReadingLord94, xoxo-jeniie-xoxo, youngwriter323, larabaybee, heavensent0214, Artificial Donkey, laguanabeachfreak442, Riddle-Me-That, Rachel, LuvHighSchoolMusical, Brenda - The One And Only Me-, xfunkyxfr3shx, shanabob, **_and especially **_soaringinlove, Pinkninja83, Bacetti - Jolie xoxo, Promise.Me.Forever, Jenny, _**and **_breaking freexx_**.

**---**

**Title: Because I Loved Him**

**Summary: A new girl comes to East High, and vows to get a certain basketball captain. When she finally attracts his attention, he leaves Gabriella to be with her. But will he realize who his true soulmate is?**

* * *

Chapter 13

"Alright class, settle down!" Mrs. Darbus called out as she walked into the room. "First of all, let us wish each other a Happy Tuesday!" There were half-hearted murmurs from several of the students, but most of them kept their mouths shut. She frowned.

"Why is she even trying to perk us up?" Chad moaned. "It's 8:00 on a Tuesday morning!"

Taylor reached out to smack his head. "Shut up, Chad."

Mrs. Darbus held up a pink piece of paper. Everybody suddenly straightened up, wondering what information it held. "I have the results of the auditions for the Spring Musicale," she said. Unfolding it dramatically, she took a deep breath. "Our two leads will be played by-"

The class was silent, each of them (including Sharpay and Ryan) hoping that a certain duo got the parts.

"Troy Bolton and Gabriella Montez!"

Everyone erupted in cheers...except for Troy and Gabriella. He smiled briefly, yelling _Yes!_ in his head. When he turned to see Gabriella's reaction, he was shocked.

She was pale and gray. Her arms had crossed, forming a protective shield. Her brown eyes refused to meet his gaze. _Oh no! _she thought, _Now I have to work with him?_

Unfortunately, their friends noticed this. Kelsi scribbled out a note and passed it to Troy. When it landed on his desk, he looked up to make sure that Mrs. Darbus wouldn't see him. He opened it up quietly, and read this:

_Troy:_

_Meet us in the music room after school. We have something for you._

Troy turned back to look at his friends. They all grinned and gave him a thumbs-up. He caught Kelsi's eyes, and nodded a quick _Yes._

_---_

Finally, school had ended, and Troy walked into the music room, wondering why his friends needed him to come. As soon as he arrived, Chad ran up and grabbed his arm, dragging him towards the piano.

"Uh, guys, why are you all so excited?" he said, confused.

"Because Kelsi wrote something really great, and we think it's going to help the whole 'you and Gabriella' situation!" Taylor was practically jumping up and down. Kelsi blushed.

"Really?" Troy was suddenly serious and focused. Kelsi gave him the score. As he flipped through it, he asked, "Hey, why do I come in at the end?"

"You have a special part. No one else is going to be singing but you," Kelsi explained.

Zeke nodded seriously. "No pressure, man." The gang burst out laughing.

"But how is this going to convince Gabriella that I still love her?" Troy was sober once again.

Taylor rolled her eyes. "You'll see. Can we sing, Kels?"

"As soon as Sa--" Kelsi was cut off when the door banged open and Sarah rushed in.

"Sorry I'm late," she panted. "I got held up in History." Sarah noticed Troy staring at her with a quizzical expression on his face. "Hi. I'm Sarah Pritchman. I play the acoustic guitar, and I'll be helping you with this whole...song thing." Her hands made a big circling motion, as if she was searching for the right words to use.

"I'm Troy Bolton," he replied. "Nice to meet you." Sarah grinned at him and threw her backpack to the floor. She grabbed her guitar from the rack and sat down, plucking the strings and tuning the instrument.

After a few minutes, Sarah looked up at Kelsi and said, "I'm ready. Where are we starting from?"

Troy looked confused. "Starting from?" He looked back and forth between his friends. "You mean you guys have already learned the song?"

Chad nodded. "We learned it yesterday. But we skipped over your part, since we wanted you to add your part yourself."

"Alrighty then..." Troy said uncertainly. "Let's hear this song!"

---

After school, Gabriella stood outside the Heart Hospital of New Mexico. Clutching her handbag, she took a deep breath, wondering if she really wanted to do this. Steeling her nerves, she stood up straight and walked right in.

She approached the reception desk, where a hassled secretary was attempting to answer several phones at once. Gabriella waited for a few minutes, before the phones finally stopped ringing. Smoothing a few hairs behind her face, the secretary looked up at her tiredly. "May I help you?"

"I would like to visit a patient please," Gabriella said.

The secretary pushed a form and a pen across to her. "Fill out the highlighted areas, please."

Gabriella took the pen in her hand and began to write.

---

_I always...will be..._

The gang looked at Troy expectantly. Suddenly, he realized that he was supposed to sing. "Uh, am I supposed to come in now?"

"No, you think?" Taylor said sarcastically. Troy grinned sheepishly.

"Erm...sorry?"

Kelsi sighed. "It's alright Troy, but you should have been paying attention. I gave you the biggest cue ever!"

"Yeah!" Chad piped up. "It was even bigger than the one she gave me!" They all burst out laughing.

"Okay, Troy, let's work on your part," Kelsi said. She played a short introduction, before giving Troy his cue.

He took a deep breath, and opened his mouth to sing. His baritone voice flew around the room, hitting the right pitches at the right times.

_I'm here, I'm now.  
Open your eyes and see..._

---

Bianca was sitting in her hospital room, bored out of her mind. Well, actually, she was lying down. When Mauvai had failed to catch her, she had broken an arm, fractured the other, bruised her ribs, and broken a leg as well. She was in a very funny position: her leg was suspended by a harness, her broken arm in a full cast, and sported a big bandage around her torso.

The door opened slowly, and Bianca turned her head to see who the visitor was. Thinking that one of the doctors or nurses had come to check on her, she called out, "My leg is fine, my arm is fine, but I can't believe that I'll be out of school for the rest of the year." She didn't get a full view until the door was fully open.

Standing in the doorway was Gabriella. "I'm glad to hear that, well except about the school part," she said softly.

Bianca glared at her. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to see how you were doing. I heard about your fall." Gabriella looked around the room uneasily.

"Why would you care?" Bianca asked coldly.

"Why shouldn't I?" Gabriella retorted.

"For many reasons." If Bianca was able to, she would have started to count reasons off of her fingers. "Let's see; I stole your boyfriend, I was a total witch to you, and did I mention that I stole your boyfriend?"

"You did. But I forgive you for that."

"What?" Now Bianca was wary. She fully expected Gabriella to scream and yell, and finally take revenge on her, now that Bianca was prone and vulnerable.

Gabriella sighed. "Look, I still don't know why you did it, but I somewhat understand. You were new at our school, and you tried to fit in. I know, because I was like that in January."

"When you came in here, I didn't expect sympathy from you. And in fact, I still don't want it. I hate you, Gabriella Montez. You have the perfect life! Perfect grades, the perfect boyfriend, and perfect friends. Why do you have them and I don't?" Bianca ranted, breathing heavily.

The brunette was silent. Bianca took this as another chance to continue.

"Save your sympathy for someone who cares!" Bianca shouted. She turned away.

Gabriella stood up. "You know, I used to think that there was some good in everyone. I always thought that no one could really be evil. But you've proved me wrong.

"I came here because I thought that you would like to know that someone at school still cared about you. The whole student body is actually buzzing with excitement that you're gone. They've totally forgotten about you, and they've moved on with their lives.

"But I guess not. Even in the end, when everyone has deserted you, you're still mean, cold, and heartless. And I don't have to take this from you. I came here on my own accord; no one forced me to." With that, Gabriella turned on her heel and strode out of the room.

Bianca had turned her head back around to face the door. She could see Gabriella's retreating figure through the glass window. Then she turned away again, so that nobody would see the tear that was falling from her eye.

---

At home, Gabriella sat at her piano, plinking out notes and testing combinations. Every once in a while, she would pick up a pencil and scribble something down on a piece of paper. She was so engrossed in this activity that she didn't hear her mother sneak up behind her.

Mrs. Montez tapped her daughter on the shoulder. Gabriella jumped, exclaming, "Mom! You scared me half to death!" She placed a hand on her chest to emphasize her fright.

"Well, I'm glad to hear that you're still half alive, then." Mrs. Montez smiled at her daughter. "What's got you so busy?"

"The Junior Prom is on Friday, and there's going to be a karaoke. I'm trying to write something that I can sing," Gabriella explained, gesturing to the music sheet she had in front of her.

"Ah," Mrs. Montez said. "May I hear it?" Gabriella nodded, and played and sang what she had so far. When she finished, she noticed that Mrs. Montez had a tear in her eye. "It's beautiful," she whispered.

"I went to visit Bianca today," Gabriella said quietly.

"Oh?" Mrs. Montez cocked an eyebrow. "Wasn't that the girl that Troy fell in love with?"

"Yeah." She saw her mom's puzzled expression. "I wanted to see how she was doing. I didn't want her to be stuck in the hospital for two months without any visitors."

"That's very kind of you, 'Ella." Mrs. Montez smiled down at her daughter. "How did it go?"

"She's still as horrible as ever. I was probably her only visitor, and she still ranted on about how she thought she deserved Troy. I've never felt so mad in my life."

"If she didn't accept your sympathy, then that's her problem. No one forced you to go there; you did it out of the goodness of your heart. From what you've told me, it sounds like she didn't deserve your visit anyway," Mrs. Montez said.

Gabriella smiled gently. "Thanks Mom."

---

Back at East High, Troy and the gang were finalizing their preparations for Friday night. Troy held a list in his hand as he called out his friends' names and made sure that they remembered their assignments.

"Taylor and Sharpay!"

"Slideshow!" Sharpay replied.

"Zeke and Ryan!"

"Cupcakes!" his friends said.

"Jason and Chad!"

"Tulips and roses, Cap'n," Chad said goofily, throwing a mock salute. Troy shook his head and moved on.

"Kelsi and Sarah!"

Kelsi replied, "The track for the song, and my score."

As soon as Kelsi finished, Sarah said, "And I have to bring Gabriella here."

"And I just have to sing my karaoke song, and stay hidden until then," Troy whispered to himself. Then he straightened up and said to all of his friends, "Guys, thank you so much for helping me."

Chad grinned. "No problem, dude. What are friends for?"

Taylor sniffed. "I'm only doing this for Gabriella," she said, pretending to be haughty. Then they all glared at her, and she held up her hands, saying, "Kidding, kidding!"

Sharpay and Ryan laughed. "But don't let this get to your head. Come next year, we'll be back in the spotlight!" Ryan declared loudly. He looked so ridiculous that they all burst out laughing.

"But I'm serious, guys. I'll never be able to repay you for what you're doing for me," Troy replied.

Kelsi walked up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "We'll be repaid a hundred times over when you and Gabriella are together and happy again." And with that, Troy looked up and smiled at all of his friends.

* * *

**Author's Note: Woah...this chapter took a long time to write. A combination of projects, homework, music, and slight writer's block is to blame.**

**Thanks to breaking freexx for the idea about Gabriella visiting Bianca (although I'm not sure Bianca deserved it). **

**Even though it's not what I hoped, I'm glad that most of you know what song the gang will be singing. And if you do, please do not mention the title or the artist in your reviews. I don't want it to be spoiled for those who don't.**

**You'll find out what song Gabriella will sing in the next chapter, and Troy's song will be performed either next chapter or in Chapter 15. Speaking of next chapter, it probably will not be up for a while, considering as I will be on an overnight school trip to Washington, D.C., and I will not have Internet access there.**

**Please check out my new oneshot, titled Is It Too Late? It's a Zac/Vanessa story, set in the future. I'd love for you to read it, if you're a fan of those type of stories. **

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please leave a review, because I greatly appreciate them (they actually make my day when I see them sitting in my inbox!). **

**Yikes...this is a pretty long author's note. Sorry! Anyway, see you next chapter!**

**Princesse de la Plume**


	14. Prom Night: Part One

**_Featured Review:_**

_This story blows me away with each and every chapter I read. Every time I turn on my computer and bring up fanfiction, yours is the first one I look at. You really make me feel like I am an East High Student, experiencing all of what is going on. Your stories are like a little movie playing inside my head. This story will never in a million years get the least bit boring. It always keeps me on the edge of my seat. It gives me so much inspiration for my own story. After I read yours, I just want to get started writing mine! (but usually I can't, i'm supposed to be doing homework right now...shh!) To get to my point, you're an amazing author. Keep writing! **breaking freexx**_

**Thanks to the following reviewers of **Chapter 13 - Songs and a Hospital Visit: _Wolfheart Dragonwing, katiedabest, Brenda -The One and Only Me-, Leah, MPPandHSMroxmysox, mommygensdaugher, carito06, xx all in this together xx, puppylove223223, ImpactRed520, foreverlily, TutorWifeScott, zoe, larabaybee, Zanessa Fan, RaChEl, Iluvhsm, luvokemo, xoxo-jeniie-xoxo, **laguanabeachfreak442, Artificial Donkey, joanthereloaded-92, Randomly SmuRfy, **_**_heavensent0214, JolieMarie, xfunkyxfr3shx, The Perfect Lie, Riddle-Me-That, LuvHighSchoolMusical, _**and especially **_The Drama Princess, StarInHeaven1014, Pinkninja83, MadiWillow, _**and **_breaking freexx_**.

**Author's Note: Ooops...I just realized that I forgot to explain the relationship between Gabriella and Ty...sorry about that! Thanks to _The Drama Princess_ for reminding me!**

**--- **

**Title: Because I Loved Him**

**Summary: A new girl comes to East High, and vows to get a certain basketball captain. When she finally attracts his attention, he leaves Gabriella to be with her. But will he realize who his true soulmate is?**

* * *

Chapter 14

"So, how's the whole 'talking to Troy' thing coming along?" Ty sat down next to Gabriella. They were both in the library after school. Gabriella had gone to do some research, and Ty had just...come along, since he had nothing to do.

"No comment." Gabriella didn't meet his eyes as she flipped through the thick book she was reading.

Ty sighed. "Gabriella, you do know that the prom is _tonight_, right?"

Gabriella looked up from her book and glared at him. "I'm perfectly aware of that, thank you very much."

"And that rehearsals for the play start _next week_?"

She threw down her pen in frustration. "Will you please get to your point?"

"Nah, I think I'll wait 'till next year to tell you," Ty said cheekily. Gabriella intensified her stare. "Alright, alright! Look, if you ever want to fix things up between you and Troy, you should do it before next week. 'Cause then, the play would be ruined, and Mrs. Darbus would never get off your back if it is. Plus," he lowered his voice, "you know that you want him back."

"Wow. I think I just got a personal guidance counselor," Gabriella said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Ty was suddenly serious. "Gabriella, this isn't a laughing matter. You guys really need to talk, and you need to talk soon. And if you don't, so help me, I will lock you two in a closet!"

"I knew it would bring me trouble if I became friends with you, and yet, I still did," she said, raising her eyes to the ceiling.

He grinned. "You know you love me."

Gabriella smiled as she reflected on her relationship with Ty. They had met in January, in that same library. Contrary to the popular stereotype, Ty was actually quite intelligent, choosing to spend his free periods in the library than tossing around a football with his teammates.

_Gabriella sat down at a table in the library, and cracked open a large book. She took out the project outline that she had been given, and started to take notes on the chemical properties of several elements. Suddenly, a shadow blocked out the light that was illuminating her book. She looked up with fright and was met with Ty's grinning face._

_"Um, you're in my usual seat," he said, pointing at the table._

_"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry. I'll just be leaving now..." Gabriella rushed to gather up her books. _

_Ty chuckled. "No, it's okay. You don't have to leave. By the way, I'm Ty Reinhart," he said, sticking out his hand._

_Gabriella stuck hers out, and they shook hands. "Gabriella Montez. Nice to meet you."_

_"Pleasure's all mine." Ty sat down across from her. "So, what are you looking at there?"_

_Gabriella showed him the cover of her book. "Ah, chemical properties. For Holidell's class?"_

_"Yup." Gabriella was surprised. "You're in Advanced Chemistry?"_

_Ty nodded. "What made you think I wasn't?" Gabriella didn't answer, but stared at the football logo on his jacket._

_"Oh...that," he laughed. "Yeah, I'm the captain of the football team. But I'm also in the honors classes, much to the chagrin of my teammates."_

_They shared a private laugh. Gabriella eventually warmed up to him, and they soon became close friends. But they didn't sit together at lunch, because Ty usually liked to sit with his team. Therefore, none of their friends ever knew about their friendship, but Ty and Gabriella didn't mind._

_Ty soon became like an older brother to Gabriella. She was comfortable around him, comfortable enough to allow his hand to slip around her waist, and a friendly kiss on the cheek. But they both knew that none of them had romantic feelings for the other._

"So, what's the plan?" Ty's voice brought Gabriella back down to earth.

"Huh?"

Ty smirked. "You were dreaming about me again, weren't you?"

Gabriella smiled sweetly and clasped her hands under her chin. "Oh, Ty, you're so cute...I can barely hold myself back from kissing you all over!"

"I always knew you wanted me," he said smugly. Gabriella reached her hand out and rested her hand on his shoulder in a seductive way. Then, she whacked his shoulder. "Ow! That hurt!" he complained as he rubbed his shoulder.

"Oh, suck it up, Reinhart." Gabriella rolled her eyes. "Anyway, what were you saying?"

"How are you going to talk to Troy?"

"Well, I wrote a song, and I'm going to sing it tonight."

"And what song would that be?"

Gabriella grinned and pretended to zip her lips closed. "You'll just have to find out tonight," she said.

---

Finally, dusk fell over Albuquerque, and the hour of the dance had finally arrived. The gang had met up in the auditorium, and thankfully, everyone had brought what he or she needed. As expected, Troy was running around like crazy, making sure that everyone was there and prepared.

"Tay and Shar, where's that slideshow?"

Sharpay sighed at Troy's frantic behavior. "It's in the computer!"

"And before you ask, we have the computer, the projector, and the screen!" Taylor said as Troy opened his mouth. He shut it quickly and moved ahead.

"Zeke! Ryan!"

"Cupcakes are already set up in the front row!" Ryan called out.

"Chad! Jason!"

"Dude, way ahead of you. The flowers are sitting in two huge bouquets by the cupcakes." Chad snickered at how flustered Troy was. Troy glared at him.

"Kelsi! Sarah!"

Kelsi said, "I've got the score, and the track is already in the stereo!"

"Okay. And Sarah?" He didn't hear anything from the girl. "Sarah? Sarah?" Troy called out frantically.

Sighing, Taylor walked over to Troy. She placed her hands on his shoulders and looked into his eyes. "Troy, relax before you wrinkle your tuxedo. She's already at the prom, looking for Gabriella." Breathing in deeply, he calmed himself down.

"Okay, okay," he said between breaths. He looked up into the smiling faces of his friends.

"Dude, chill. We've got everything under control. Now get to that prom!" Jason shooed Troy out of the auditorium. He turned back one last time, before running towards the gym.

---

Gabriella stood in the corner of the gym, sipping her cup of punch. She had chosen to wear a simple, sky-blue dress, with a bit of lace at the top and a long, slim skirt. The current karaoke performer was a shy sophomore, singing a song that Gabriella didn't know the title of. Gabriella herself was literally shaking due to her upcoming karaoke performance. It was suddenly presenting itself as a bad idea in her mind.

"Hey!" Suddenly, Sarah appeared at her side. Gabriella jumped a little, but managed to keep her punch in its cup.

"Sarah! Don't do that to me! You scared me half to death!" Gabriella said, breathing heavily.

Her friend chuckled. "So...you ready to sing?"

Gabriella paled. "Who told you about that?" she demanded.

"I did." Ty appeared on Gabriella's other side. She jumped again, and placed a hand to her heart.

"You guys have got to stop doing that! Do you want me dead from a heart attack before the end of the night?" Gabriella said jokingly.

Sarah grinned, and said, "Well, as long as you stay alive until 10:30, you'll be alright."

Gabriella was suddenly suspicious. "What's going to happen at 10:30?" she asked with narrowed eyes.

The grin immediately left Sarah's face. "Uh...nothing!" she said quickly.

"Nice save," Ty replied sarcastically.

Gabriella shook her head, as if she was trying to remember something. "Wait," she said, "how do you guys know each other?"

"We're partners in chemistry," they answered in unison.

"Ty told me about your karaoke act today," Sarah added.

Ty pushed his tuxedo sleeve up and looked at his watch. "And, assuming they stay on schedule, you should be on in...five, four, three, two, one..."

But the song was still playing, and the emcee didn't come up to the microphone. The girls looked at each other and smirked. "Sorry, dude," Gabriella said, patting his shoulder sympathetically. "Maybe next--" She froze as the music stopped and the emcee walked up on the stage.

"How about that! What a great performance from Kiely Swanson!" He paused for a moment to let the crowd cheer for the girl. "And our next performer is someone that you should all know. She made a big splash in January when she became the leading lady the musical "Twinkle Towne" opposite Troy Bolton! Now, singing solo to her original composition, is Gabriella Montez!" The crowd went wild, waiting for her.

Looking back at their friend, Ty and Sarah saw that she was deathly pale. "Guys, I can't do this," she said softly.

"Yes you can!" Sarah said firmly. "Now you're going to go up there, and sing your heart out!"

Ty nodded. "I've heard you sing before, Gabriella. You'll do great!" He gave her a goofy thumbs-up. Gabriella tried to steel her nerves and walked up onto the stage, amid the screaming student body.

---

Troy ran into the gym just as Gabriella took the microphone from the emcee. He paused for a moment and leaned on the wall, wincing as his aching feet throbbed. _No wonder sneakers are so popular. Running in these dress shoes will kill your feet!_ he thought.

Looking back at the stage, he saw that Gabriella had placed the microphone back on its stand. She held it tightly, like she had done back at the ski lodge. _Everything was so simple then, back when it was just me and her, and no Bianca to come between us_.

A pre-recorded track began to play, and the gym was filled with chords from an electric guitar, punctuated by a drum. In the background, violins and cellos created harmonies and melded with the other instruments. The students quickly paired up, with the girls linking their hands around the boys' necks, and the boys placing their hands on the girls' waists. They started moving awkwardly to the song, watching Gabriella as they danced. Troy watched as Gabriella quickly shut her eyes and opened them again, before taking a deep breath. She let it out, and then opened her mouth to sing.  
_  
I hope you never lose your sense of wonder.  
You get your fill to eat  
But always keep that hunger.  
May you never take one single breath for granted  
God forbid love ever leave you empty handed._

Her voice was shaky and unsure at first. Her anxiety was overpowering her soft alto. But as she started getting more comfortable, her voice strengthened. Gabriella started getting into the song, swaying slightly in time with the music.

_I hope you still feel small  
When you stand by the ocean.  
Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens  
Promise me you'll give fate a fighting chance,_

Gabriella dropped her left hand from the microphone and curled it into a fist, raising it above her head.

_And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance...  
I hope you dance.  
I hope you dance._

The dancing couples cheered as she launched into the chorus, stretching out the long notes to the best of her ability. Her volume grew and grew as she sang, then quieted down as she continued into the next verse.

_I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance  
Never settle for the path of least resistance.  
Living might mean taking chances  
But they're worth taking.  
Loving' might be a mistake  
But it's worth making._

Gabriella's eyes swept around the room, landing first on Sarah and Ty. She smiled when she saw that they had partnered up and were dancing a waltz to the song.

Her eyes continued to move around the room, never resting on one single subject for more than a second. But that changed when her eyes met Troy's.

For some strange reason, she couldn't look away. It had been way too long since they had looked each other in the eye. Gabriella realized, just then, that she had never stopped loving him.

_Don't let some hell bent heart  
Leave you bitter.  
When you come close to selling out  
Reconsider.  
Give the heavens above  
More than just a passing glance. _

Gabriella finally took the mike off of the stand and pushed it to the side. She held it in her right hand as her left went to her heart, occasionally reaching out towards the dancing students.

_And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance.  
I hope you dance.  
I hope you dance.  
I hope you dance.  
I hope you dance._

_I hope you still feel small  
When you stand by the ocean.  
Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens.  
Promise me you'll give faith a fighting chance  
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance..._

She paused, and the party paused with her. It was as if the entire gym was holding its breath, waiting for her to continue. Troy felt as if his lungs were going to pop if she didn't continue. But then she smiled, and her voice burst out, her volume reaching higher than she had ever gone.

_Dance.  
I hope you dance.  
I hope you dance.  
I hope you dance.  
I hope you dance.  
I hope you dance.  
I hope you dance._

The instruments played a little while longer, before cutting off and leaving the gym in silence. Everyone was looking at Gabriella, awed at her performance. She felt a little nervous and afraid that they didn't like it. But then, the gym suddenly filled with thunderous applause, whistles, and cheers. Gabriella blushed and bowed, before walking off of the stage. Ty and Sarah ran up to her and hugged her tightly. Sarah was squealing and gushing about the performance, and Ty was just smiling gently at her.

Troy felt a heavy sensation in his stomach as he saw Ty bend down and kiss Gabriella on the cheek. _How dare he kiss her like that!_ he thought, outraged. He watched as Gabriella threw her arms around Ty, hugging him tightly.

The basketball captain knew that he needed Gabriella back. He needed to fill the gaping hole inside of him that had existed ever since he had broken up with her. Hopefully, what he had planned for tonight would work. Troy prayed desperately that his karaoke performance and the song that the gang would sing would convince her to forgive him, and to give him a second chance.

It was all up to chance now.

_

* * *

_

**Author's Note: Oh my gosh...I am so sorry that this chapter took so long! But I took a class field trip to Washington, D.C. about four days after I last updated (thanks to all of you who wished me a happy trip! You guys are the best!), and the last two weeks have just been so hectic for me. It's really a combination of homework, science labs, math research, violin practicing, and writer's block. **

**The song that Gabriella sang was "I Hope You Dance" by Lee Ann Womack.**

**A big thank you to those of you who read my oneshot, Is It Too Late. I never thought that I would get such a great response for a oneshot! **

**Thanks for reading this chapter! Please leave a review, because I'd love to know what you thought of it. **

**Princesse de la Plume**


	15. Prom Night: Part Two

**_Featured Review:_**

_I absolutely love the song Gabriella sang! I like Ty; he's cool beans. And Troy's jealous! At least he realized he still LOVES Gabriella. AwwL! I'll be so sad when this story is over. It's so well-written and everything. Plus, I can relate to it, somewhat. You know, the whole heartbreak thing. There are some stories that are soo far-fetched that you can't even imagine why it was written. NOT THIS ONE! It's like I'm watching_ _it being played out right in front of me, which means...Great imagery! I can't wait to see how it all plays out in the end. **Randomly SmuRfy**_

**A big thanks to the following reviewers of **Chapter 14 - Prom Night, Part One: _SimpleeLovely673, zozo, xoxo-jeniie-xoxo, guitarZroX10, Zanessa Fan, stephanny, -MJmont-, Gabriela, Cookie-Girl-100, cucu4cocopuffs,_ _ZanessaForeva, HighSchoolMusicalLover1, foreverlily, maria-b3l3n, Shell-Bell87Fly.Girl.Fly, Leah, larabaybee, LuvHighSchoolMusical,_ **_xfunkyxfr3shx, luvokemo, soaringinlove, Iluvhsm, swt2beepinay, Soul Eyes, Waterbeautygoddess, JolieMarie, heaventsent0214, cryingcloud15, _**and especially**_ Promise.Me.Forever, The Drama Princess, Randomly SmuRfy, _**and **_breaking freexx_**.

**---**

**Title: Because I Loved Him**

**Summary: A new girl comes to East High, and vows to get a certain basketball captain. When she finally attracts his attention, he leaves Gabriella to be with her. But will he realize who his true soulmate is?**

* * *

Chapter 15

As Gabriella walked off of the stage, she tried very hard not to jump and cheer. Her performance turned out to be much better than she had expected.

She didn't know what had inspired her to write that song. All she knew was that she wanted to relay her true feelings for Troy. She wanted him to know that even though they weren't together, she still loved him.

While Gabriella was singing, she had accidentally locked eyes with Troy. And she couldn't look away. She was unable to look away from his ocean-blue eyes. Catching his gaze made her pour her heart even more into the song, so that he would feel the emotion too.

But once she stepped down, she lost sight of him. Sarah and Ty blocked her view with their hugging and screaming. But when she put her arms around Ty, Gabriella found Troy again. And the hurt in his eyes shocked her. Gabriella honestly couldn't remember what she had done to make him feel this way.

---

Although the gang was supposed to stay in the auditorium, Taylor, Sharpay, and Kelsi had wanted to see Gabriella's performance. And of course, the boys had gone with them, using the excuse of "to keep the girls out of sight." Actually, this translated to, "to keep them from being hit on by other guys." Jason had also brought a video camera to record Gabriella's song, which Sarah had informed them about (after learning about it from Ty, of course).

Currently, everyone was in shock. Even though there was a new singer up on the stage, no one was really paying any attention to her.

"Gabriella was wonderful," Taylor whispered. The gang agreed with her.

"What?" Chad yelled. He was the only one that didn't hear her, seeing as he was already in the gym, dancing. The girls sighed exasperatedly and dragged him back into the doorway. "Hey! I wanted to dance!"

"We're supposed to stay out of sight, remember?" Sharpay glared at him. Chad cowered miserably.

Zeke stepped up. "Dude, just listen to them. You can dance once it's all over. Plus, they're kind of scary if they're mad." All of a sudden, Chad perked up again. Everyone rolled their eyes, and the girls reached out and smacked Zeke on the shoulder. "Ouch!"

---

Troy watched Gabriella talking animatedly with Ty and Sarah. The more he watched, the more numb he felt. He especially hated it when Ty said something that made Gabriella throw her head back and laugh, her cheeks red with merriment. Thinking back, he remembered when he was the one that caused her to giggle uncontrollably, then break out into a loud guffaw.

_During one of the many rehearsals for **Twinkle Towne**, Mrs. Darbus had sent Troy and Gabriella into a separate room to work on their chemistry. "You two are too stiff and awkward to play out the characters!" Mrs. Darbus proclaimed dramatically, her eyes flashing. She had all but locked them in an empty classroom for fifteen minutes, threatening them with extra choreography if they hadn't warmed up to each other._

_It wasn't that they were uncomfortable; it was because the parts that they had the most trouble with were the intimate scenes between Arnold and Minnie. Troy had no problem with those scenes, and neither did Gabriella; but they were both oblivious to how the other felt about them._

_"Um...okay. What are we supposed to do here?" Gabriella asked._

_"Well, I guess that we're supposed to bare our souls to each other for fifteen minutes," Troy answered, scratching his head. Gabriella chuckled. "Do you want to go first?" he offered._

_Gabriella had a funny expression on her face. "No..." she said softly. For some reason, her tone caused Troy to crack up. _

_"Fine, fine. I'll go first." Troy rolled his eyes up, stuck his tongue out, and thought for a moment. "Uh, well, I'm terrified of...Sharpies," he admitted. _

_She stared at him. "Sharpies?" she asked incredulously. When he nodded, a wicked gleam came to her eyes. "Ooh, this is good. Wait 'till the school finds out that Troy Bolton is afraid of Sharpies!"_

_Troy looked horrified. "No! You can't tell anyone! I'm scared of them because they smell really bad, and the fact that they never come off whatever you write on with them! What are you doing?" he asked uneasily._

_Gabriella was digging around in her pocket. She found what she was looking for--a Sharpie--and uncapped it, holding it in front of her like a fencing saber. Troy put his hands up in front of his face and started to back away. "Keep that thing away from me!" he cried._

_She laughed. "But it wants to play with you, Troy!" she cooed. _

_"There's no way something as evil smelling as that could want to **play**," he said stubbornly, crossing his arms. But the marker was instantly an inch away from his nose, and he fell over a desk, trying to avoid it._

_Troy looked up into Gabriella's laughing face. "Oh yeah, Montez? Now, it's payback!" He popped up, dodged the Sharpie, and poked Gabriella's side--hard. _

_Gabriella squeaked. "Troy! Don't do that! I'm ticklish!" As soon as she said that, she clapped a hand over her mouth. _

_The basketball captain was grinning evilly at her. "Oh, you're ticklish, eh?" He started advancing towards her, his hands held out menacingly. Gabriella started running around the small classroom, trying to stay away from him. _

_After a few minutes of frantic running and screaming, he finally cornered her by the teacher's desk. She was on one side, while he was on the other. Troy mirrored Gabriella's movements; when she moved to the right, he shifted to his left, and vice versa. _

_Gabriella finally made a break for the door, sprinting to her right. But Troy had had plenty of experience with covering people in basketball, and he reached her in an instant. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close with his left arm, while his right hand tickled her stomach mercilessly. _

_"Troy! Stop!" she squealed. Her laugh rang out and filled his ears. _

_"Not until you say 'Troy Bolton is the hottest guy alive,' " he said._

_Her head whipped around, causing her hair to smack him in the face. "Never!" she cried bravely._

_Troy's hand started to tickle her stomach. And then he poked her again. And again. "Okay, okay!" Gabriella inhaled deeply. "Troy Bolton is the hottest guy alive," she said slowly. However, as soon as she felt Troy's hands leave her waist, she yelled, "Not!" _

_He started to chase her again. They ran around the desks, in between the rows, and past the door. But then, he finally backed her into a corner. Troy advanced slowly, not noticing Gabriella's breathing grow shallower with every step. "What was that you said, Montez?"_

_"You heard me," she said cheekily. "Troy Bolton is NOT the hottest guy alive!"_

_Troy smirked. "Are you sure?" he asked softly, bringing his hands to rest on the wall on both sides of her head. _

_Gabriella felt as if her heart was going to burst out of her rib cage. They were _really _close now, closer than they had ever been before. "Yeah," she whispered. _

_Troy stared into her eyes. She stared back. He started to lower his head, angling it slightly. Gabriella's breath hitched, anticipating what was going to happen next. She stretched out her neck eagerly and closed her eyes. _

_It seemed to take an eternity. But then Gabriella felt his breath on her face, and she reached up even more. And just when their lips were a centimeter apart..._

_The door burst open. Troy and Gabriella sprang apart, breathing heavily. Two girls, Jessica Helman and Kelly Schwartz stood there, looking uneasy. "Um, Mrs. Darbus said you can come back now. She only wanted you in here for fifteen minutes, not half an hour," Kelly said. _

_Jessica shook her head. "Actually, her exact words were, 'Go find Bolton and Montez, and tell them that if they're not back in the auditorium in five minutes, their parts will be given to Sharpay and Ryan!' " _

_"Oh. Uh, yeah. We should get going, Troy." Gabriella started walking out the door. Her lips felt cold without Troy's warm breath on them._

_Troy followed, mentally cursing Mrs. Darbus and her timing all the way down to the fiery pits of Hades. He could have kissed her right there..._

All of a sudden, Troy heard his name being called. Looking up at the stage, he saw that the emcee had once again come to the microphone, and was searching the crowd for him. At first, Troy wondered, _Why is he calling my name? _Then he remembered that he had signed up for a slot in the karaoke show.

Troy approached the stage nervously. He blinked once a spotlight was trained on him. _Doesn't this bring back old memories?_

Once he set foot on the stage, the crowd started to scream. Well, the girls did. Troy blushed when he heard cries of "I love you, Troy!" and "You're so hot!" He took hold of the microphone and looked out around the gym.

---

Back in the doorway, Jason had been arguing with Chad and Zeke (and surprisingly, Ryan) over who was the best player in the NBA.

"Kobe Bryant!" Chad said.

Zeke shook his head. "Shaq!"

Jason disagreed with both of them. "Guys, you're both wrong. The best player is Michael Jordan!"

Ryan spoke up. "Nuh-uh! It's Yao Ming!"

"Kobe Bryant!"

"Shaq!"

"Michael Jordan!"

"Yao Ming!"

"Jason Cross!" Kelsi yelled. The boys turned to face her, puzzled.

Jason looked confused. "Well, I'm glad that you think I'm a really good basketball player, Kels. But I'm not in the NBA." He scratched his head.

She shook her head and stomped her foot. "No, you idiot! Troy's about to go on! Get the camera ready!"

"Oh, right." Jason turned on the camera and fumbled with it, focusing it on Troy. "It'll be ready in a second."

Kelsi groaned and looked at Taylor and Sharpay. "Boys," she said.

---

"Uh, hey everybody," Troy said into the microphone. "Um, I'd like to dedicate this song to a very special person. Gabriella, this is for you."

Gabriella turned towards the stage, her eyes wide. "Did he just say what I think he said?"

Behind her, Ty and Sarah slapped high-fives.

A piano started playing in the background, and the students started pairing up once again. Troy met Gabriella's stare, and smiled nervously. Then, he started to sing.

_Have I told you lately that I love you?  
Have I told you there's no one else above you?  
You fill my heart with gladness,  
Take away all my sadness.  
Ease my troubles, that's what you do ._

Gabriella's jaw dropped. _He really is sorry_, she thought. _Sorry enough to dedicate a song to me. _Suddenly, she felt her heart begin to melt. _Maybe...maybe he really does deserve a second chance._

A drum came in, and started to accentuate the piano chords. Troy raised his hand to the ceiling, and brought it down again to point at Gabriella.

_For the morning sun in all its glory  
Greets the day with hope and comfort too.  
You fill my heart with laughter  
Take away and make it better.  
Ease my troubles that's what you do._

Troy brought his arm back to his chest and placed it over his heart. He saw Gabriella do the same with her own hand.

_There's a love that's divine  
And it's yours and it's mine like the sun.  
And at the end of the day,  
We should give thanks and pray  
To the one, to the one._

_Have I told you lately that I love you?  
Have I told you there's no one else above you?  
Fill my heart with gladness,  
Take away all my sadness.  
Ease my troubles that's what you do._

Troy cut off as a guitar solo started to play. He kept his eyes trained on Gabriella, and she kept watching him. They stood there, entranced by each other's gazes, until some violins started to play. Troy remembered that he was still onstage, and that the vocals would be coming up again.

_There's a love that's divine,  
And it's yours and it's mine like the sun.  
And at the end of the day,  
we should give thanks and pray  
to the one, to the one._

Lowering his voice to something a little louder than a whisper, Troy continued with the final verse. Knowing that the song was coming to an end, he concentrated on pouring all of his love for Gabriella into the lyrics.  
_  
And have I told you lately that I love you?  
Have I told you there's no one else above you?  
You fill my heart with gladness,  
Take away my sadness.  
Ease my troubles that's what you do.  
You fill my heart with gladness,  
Take away all my sadness.  
Fill my life with gladness.  
Ease my troubles that's what you do.  
Take away all my sadness,  
Fill my life with gladness.  
Ease my troubles that's what you do._

Troy's voice faded away, followed by the electronic track. He held the microphone in his hands and vaguely heard the earsplitting cheers of the audience. He kept watching Gabriella's expression, searching for some sort of reaction. But he hoped it wouldn't be like the last time he had tried to apologize to her with a song.

A tear fell down Gabriella's cheek.

And with that, Troy dashed through the gym doors.

---

Jason stopped the recording and turned off the camera. Then, everyone spun around quickly and ran to the auditorium. The girls had to sit down and rest their aching feet, while the boys walked around and tried to catch their breath.

Suddenly, Troy burst into the auditorium. He noticed his friends' shortness of breath and raised an eyebrow. "You weren't at the prom, by any chance, were you?"

"Erm...no."

"I see. So why are the girls taking off their shoes, why is Ryan panting, and why is Chad sweaty?" Troy asked. He stared at his friends.

Zeke was the first one to crack. "Okay, okay! We were at the prom...but no one saw us! And we have a good reason too."

"And what would that be?"

Sharpay spoke up. "Guys, as interesting as this conversation is, don't you think that we should be getting ready? It's almost 10:30, and Sarah should be bringing Gabriella here any minute."

"Oh, right!" Troy sprinted up onto the stage and hid behind the curtains. Taylor set up the projector and the laptop computer, while Sharpay pulled the screen down and dimmed the lights. Ryan and Zeke made some last-minute arrangements with the cupcakes, while Jason and Chad tidied up the flowers. Kelsi popped a disk into the stereo and took the remote. Then, she sat down at the piano and set up her score, then played a few scales.

Troy peeked out from behind the curtains at his busy friends. He really couldn't believe how much they were doing for him. They were missing the prom to help him and Gabriella. He had the best friends in the world.

This was it. The next fifteen minutes would either make or break his feeble relationship with Gabriella. Troy had never felt so scared in his life. _

* * *

_

**Author's Note: Hey there, everybody! And there's the fifteenth chapter! I hate to break it to you, but there's only going to be two chapters left!**

**Sorry that Troy's performance was a little awkward in the way I described it. But I couldn't think of a better way to write it. **

**Coming up: The moment you've all been waiting for...  
The gang sings their big song. What is it? And how will it affect Gabriella? **

**Once again, if you know the song, please do not mention it in your reviews. I want it to be a surprise for those who don't know. Thanks!**

**Troy sang "Have I Told You Lately" by Rod Stewart.**

**I'd really appreciate hearing what you guys thought of this. Please leave a review! And thanks for reading!**

**Princesse de la Plume**


	16. Open Your Eyes

**_Featured Review:_**

_First of all, I must say: That song is amazing. You have this...thing that you can manage to pick the PERFECT song for each chapter...Like, you remember all of the songs on the top of your mind or you get a song and work your chapter around it...I don't know, but it's amazing. I truly admire that...My soul belongs to music. XD.  
Second, I loved this chapter. It was so heartwarming that Gabriella forgave him through a song (again, I'm a music addict). Along with the fact that he has such amazing friends that like you said, would give up prom just to help him get his girlfriend (that he dumped) back. Seriously, I want friends like that.  
I was so excited when I saw your chapter that I sicked all my other emails just to read this story, and it was well-worth skipping.  
I loved it, amazing story and I know the ending will be even better. **JolieMarie**_

**Merci beaucoup to the following reviewers of **Chapter 15 - Prom Night, Part Two: _ME!!, LuvHighSchoolMusical, Duh-So-Hardcore, carito06, larabaybee, ZanessaForeva, GeorgeEadsLover, stephanny, Boredwithlifeandlove, foreverlily, luvokemo, SimpleeLovely673, Christina, -MJmont-, cryingcloud15,_ _puppylove223223_, _maria-b3l3n, Brenda -The One and Only Me-, Wolfheart Dragonwing,_ **_xfunkyxfr3shx, Soul Eyes, Jewel2502, Fly.Girl.Fly., CrimsonWiccan, _**and especially **_soaringinlove_, _PrettyGirl14, Pinkninja83, sh0rty, Promise.Me.Forever, StrengthToBelieve, Randomly SmuRfy, JolieMarie, The Drama Princess, _**and **_breaking freexx. _**

**---**

**Title: Because I Loved Him**

**Summary: A new girl comes to East High, and vows to get a certain basketball captain. When she finally attracts his attention, he leaves Gabriella to be with her. But will he realize who his true soulmate is?**

* * *

Chapter 16

Taylor glanced up at the auditorium clock and gasped. "Guys, it's 10:25. Sarah should be bringing Gabriella here any moment!"

"Thanks, Tay!" Chad called out. "Everybody, take your places!" Everyone (save Troy, who chuckled when he heard his friend's weird comment) turned to look at him. "What?" he asked innocently. "I've always wanted to say that, like a director does."

Ryan shook his head. "Whatever." The blonde actor stole a glance at the stage curtains, where Troy had concealed himself. Sure enough, he saw a bulge in the heavy fabric.

Behind the curtains, Troy was sweating. His heart was pounding so loud that he was afraid his friends would hear it. In order to calm his nerves, Troy inhaled deeply. Of course, this technique was totally ruined when he breathed in a lungful of stage dust. Troy went into a coughing fit, complete with hacking and choking.

Kelsi heard this and immediately stood up from the piano. Sharpay's ears picked it up as well, and the two girls bounded up the stage stairs and, with some difficulty, threw back the curtains. They found a red-faced Troy. If the next few minutes weren't so crucial they would have burst out laughing. But everything was serious now.

"Are you all right?" Kelsi asked with concern. Troy held up a finger, made a fist with his other hand and began to pound his chest. Sharpay and Kelsi watched as Troy eventually stopped coughing and smiled weakly.

"I'm...fine. Just...inhaled...a lot...of dust," Troy forced out.

Sharpay would have smirked if the situation weren't so serious. But then again, it wasn't. "How's your voice?"

Troy sang a small part of his solo. His voice sounded fine, if a little scratchy. "Zeke!" Kelsi called out. "Toss me a bottle of water!" A bottle came flying up the stage. "Here," she said, handing it to Troy, "drink as much as you can before Gabriella gets here."

"Hey! It's 10:30!" Jason's remark sent the gang into a flurry. Troy sank back into the curtains, sipping his water. Kelsi sat down at the piano and smoothed her score out, then made sure that the stereo was working. The rest assembled in a line in the wings of the stage, where they would be hidden from view.

The show was about to begin.

---

At the same time as Troy's coughing fit, Sarah was standing towards the side of the gym, watching Gabriella struggle to have fun. A lot of guys came up to her and asked her to dance (Sarah lost count after the sixth one) but she turned all of them away.

Ty sidled up to her. "She's not really enjoying herself, is she?" he said, gesturing towards Gabriella.

She sighed. "I guess Troy's song really affected her. She's turned down at least six dance offers already."

"Whoa. Who would've thought that Gabriella Montez would be without a dance partner?"

"Well, ever since she met Troy, no one really," Sarah replied.

Ty exhaled. "Yeah, those two are really tight. I won't be surprised if in sixty years, they're still together, sitting in rocking chairs and talking about 'the good old days'."

Sarah stifled a giggle. But then she was serious again. "Well, they _were_ tight, until the whole Bianca fiasco."

She watched as Ty went a delicate shade of red. "I swear, if that girl wasn't in the hospital right now, I would strangle her for what she did to Gabriella. She's like my little sister...and then I saw her get all depressed because Troy left her. I'm still mad at Troy for his actions, but in a way, I can't blame him much. He's a guy, and she wasn't too hard on the eyes either..." He trailed off under Sarah's intense stare.

Sarah smacked him on the arm. "You're supposed to be on Gabriella's side, remember?"

Ty cringed, rubbing his shoulder. "Yeah, but did you forget that I'm a guy too?"

Nodding seriously, she said, "You're a guy?" Wow…I never would have noticed."

"Hey! I am _so_ a guy!"

"Really? 'Cause ya know, the purple tie says otherwise," she retorted.

Ty looked down at his tie quickly. "It is not _purple_! It's _dark indigo_!"

"I didn't even know that! And I'm a girl!"

Grinning, Ty answered, "Yeah, and a weird one at that."

Sarah opened her mouth to make a comeback, but then the gym clock caught her eye. And it read 10:26.

"Oh shoot!" Sarah exclaimed.

"What? That's the best you've got?" Ty asked.

"Get past that stupid argument already!" She waved her hands around in the air frantically.

"Okay then...what's going on?" he questioned.

"Remember that singing act that Troy and his friends are putting together, the one I told you about?" He nodded. "Well, it's my job to bring her to the auditorium at 10:30."

"Oh yeah! Here: I'll help you get her there." Sarah smiled at her friend.

"Thanks," she said. The twosome walked through the crowd, where Gabriella was standing by the refreshment table.

"Hey guys." Gabriella smiled slightly. "Have you seen Taylor, or Sharpay, or Kelsi, or anyone else that we know?"

Ty put on a dramatic face. "You know, the fact that I wasn't named there really pains my heart."

Sarah glared at him. "Enough with the dramatics, Reinhart!" she hissed. To Gabriella, she said, "No, but I know where they are."

Gabriella's face lit up. "Great! Can you tell me?"

Her friend shook her head slowly. "I can only show you."

The pretty brunette frowned at her friend's strange behavior. "Uh, okay. Ty, what's going on?" She turned to the football captain, but found that he had the equally serious look on his face.

"We know where they are, but we have to show you; we can't just tell," Ty said.

"Right." Gabriella glanced up and noticed the clock too. "Wait a second; this wouldn't have anything to do with that mysterious thing at 10:30 that you tried to cover up, right?"

Sarah nodded. "Come on, Gabriella. We're going to be late!"

"Late for what?"

With an exasperated sigh, Sarah said, "You'll see!"

---

"Gabriella!" Sarah screamed. "This is at least the thirtieth time in the past two minutes that you've asked me that question!"

"What? I was just asking what's go--"

"Argh!" Sarah was ready to tear her hair out. "Look, if you ask me one more time, I will duct tape your mouth shut!"

Gabriella thought for a moment. When she thought she had a good comeback, she said, "And where exactly would you get the duct tape from?"

"Right there." Ty pointed to a janitor's closet.

"Wow...that's really ironic," Gabriella muttered. Suddenly, she started noticing the club bulletin boards and the drama club information board. That could only mean one thing.

"Are you guys taking me to the auditorium?" But her friends were silent.

After a few minutes, they stopped in front of the auditorium. As Gabriella peered in, she thought she saw someone sitting at the piano. She turned back to Sarah and Ty, and asked, "Who's in th--" Gabriella looked around wildly. "Where's Sarah?"

The girl had disappeared. Ty and Gabriella were left alone. Gabriella opened her mouth, but Ty cut her off. "Gabriella, don't worry. Just go in there, don't ask any questions, and follow the roses."

Gabriella quirked her brow at Ty's strange remark. But he gestured for her to turn around and face the auditorium. She stood there for a few seconds, and then turned around again with the intent of asking one more question. But Ty, like Sarah, had disappeared.

Steeling her nerves, Gabriella walked into the auditorium. _Follow the roses? _She looked around, and then found a pale pink rose on the carpet. Picking it up, she held it in her hand, and found a second rose about five feet away. A path of pink and red roses had been laid out on the floor, all leading towards the front row.

Gabriella soon had a large bouquet in her hands. She approached the front row, and found one white rose on a seat. Beside the seat was a small table filled with cupcakes. As she walked up to it, she saw that the cupcakes formed the words _Open Your Heart To Love,_ with one letter on each cake. Smiling, Gabriella picked up the rose and sat down, looking up at the stage.

All of a sudden, she saw Kelsi on the piano bench, with Sarah next to her, holding an acoustic guitar. When Sarah caught her eye, she grinned and gave a thumbs-up. Something started whirring, and Gabriella watched as a slideshow began to play on a screen.

The first slide said the same thing as the cupcakes: _Open Your Heart To Love_. A big heart appeared around the words.

Gabriella glanced back at Kelsi and Sarah with a quizzical expression on her face. The two girls smiled. Kelsi lifted a small remote and pointed it at the stereo, but no sounds came out.

After receiving a cue from Kelsi, Sarah began to strum the strings of her guitar. Chords began to ring out of the instrument, floating around in the auditorium. Kelsi joined in on the piano, and the two instruments mixed together. A few measures later, a violin could be heard in the background, coming from the track on the stereo.

A new slide showed up on the screen. Gabriella's breath caught when she saw it: a picture of her and Troy singing in _Twinkle Towne_.

_"I can't do this, Troy!" a frightened Gabriella gasped. She had peeked out and saw the immense crowd that had gathered in the auditorium._

_His eyes melted. He drew her close and held her within the strong circle of his arms. "Yes, you can. I believe in you. We're all in this together," he whispered._

Oh, how well she had sang that day! Her very heart was poured into the words, her love for Troy obvious to all who listened.

As Gabriella sat there thinking about the picture, Ryan stepped out onto the stage. At Kelsi's cue, he began to sing.

_You've been searching the world to find true love  
Looking in all the wrong places.  
When all the time you've been blind to love  
It's plain as a nose on your face is._

Ryan flashed a comforting smile at Gabriella. Next, Sharpay appeared, and her voice sang the next lines.

_It's here, it's now.  
Open your eyes and see it.  
Right here, right now._

Ryan and Sharpay sang the next line together.

_Open your eyes to love._

They walked off to the side and started snapping every few measures. The slide changed to show another picture of Troy and Gabriella holding hands in front of a fountain.

_Troy and Gabriella were taking a walk in the park. They stopped by a beautiful fountain. Troy turned around to face Gabriella, their hands still connected. _

_"I'll love you until the day that water stops flowing from this fountain," he proclaimed._

_Just then, the fountain shut off. Troy turned red. "I...I...mean...that's...that's not what I meant," he said with embarrassment._

_Gabriella burst out laughing. Reaching up, she kissed Troy on the lips. "Relax, I know that's not what you intended."_

To Gabriella's despair, the picture started to rip down the middle, with a zigzag tear similar to the typical image of a broken heart. The two halves started to drift away from each other.

Now, Chad emerged from the side of the stage. He grinned and gave Gabriella a thumbs-up before he too began singing.

_You've been down on yourself  
Thinking some things are wrong.  
Wondering why love has never found you.  
Don't you know it's been right here all along?  
If only you look around you._

Taylor joined Chad and winked at her friend in the front row.

_It's here, it's now.  
Open your eyes and see it.  
Right here, right now._

Their voices combined to sing the next line.

_Open your eyes to love._

Suddenly, the picture became whole again. Then, it changed to show a picture of Troy and Gabriella after the triple win. Troy was wearing his Wildcat warm-up suit, and Gabriella had changed into a red dress. His arm was draped casually around her waist, and she was laughing.

_Gabriella had never felt so happy that day. Her team had won the Scholastic Decathlon, Troy's basketball team had won the championship game, and they had both secured the roles of Arnold and Minnie in the musical. _

_An hour after the celebration, Gabriella sat on Troy's doorstep, looking up at the stars. The after party was still in full swing inside. _

_The door opened, and Troy stepped out. He sat down next to Gabriella and leaned back on his hands, staring up at the sky with her. "I still can't believe today was real. I'm afraid that I'll wake up and find out that it was a dream," he confessed._

_Gabriella chuckled. She reached out and pinched his arm. "Ouch!" Troy said. _

_"See, you're not dreaming." _

_" 'Fraid not." Troy turned to look at her. "Well, do you want to go back inside? It's getting boring without you." He stood up and offered his hand. She took it, and he pulled her up and into a hug. "You were amazing out there," he whispered. _

_She smiled. "Thanks. You were too." He leaned down and kissed her cheek._

Just then, Zeke's voice reached her ears. Gabriella turned back to look at the stage and saw that he had a part as well.

_Love has been right by your side.  
Oh, so close that you couldn't see._

Jason came out, and her friends sang the next part together, including Kelsi and Sarah.

_If love could speak  
He would shout to the sky_

A new voice rang out all across the room. Gabriella recognized it instantly: _Troy_.

_"I've always been here,  
I always will be._"

The music was building to a climax. Gabriella saw that her friends had turned to look at a certain part of the curtains.

Her breath caught when Troy pushed the curtains aside and revealed himself. This was the closest she had seen him in a long time. He looked into her eyes and sang the next verse alone, never breaking their eye contact once.

_I'm here, I'm now.  
Open your eyes and see me.  
Right here, right now.  
Open your eyes to love. _

_Open your mind to love.  
Open your heart to love._

The gang all sang together at that point, with Troy singing the melody and the others harmonizing. Gabriella briefly looked up at the slideshow, and gasped at what the last slide said.

_Troy Bolton loves Gabriella Montez_

As they finished, Ryan, Sharpay, Taylor, Chad, Zeke, and Jason exited the stage, with Kelsi and Sarah close behind. Silently thanking his friends for that gesture of privacy, he walked down the stage steps and over to Gabriella.

She was crying. Tears were slipping down her cheeks, leaving wet trails on her tanned skin. Gabriella tried to say something, but Troy spoke first.

"Back in January," he began, "I met this wonderful girl at a ski lodge. We'd both been chosen against our wills to sing a karaoke duet. At first, she was shy and didn't want to sing. I almost walked away, but then I heard the most beautiful voice I had ever heard in my life. When I turned around, I found out that the voice was coming from that girl. She sang like an angel, and looked like one too.

"After the duet, we walked outside. She was holding a cup of hot chocolate, which she sipped as we talked. Although it was pretty hard to grasp, she told me that that had been the first time she had sang outside of her church choir. That was a common thing between us, since I only sang to my showerhead.

"Then, we heard people ringing in the New Year. Fireworks erupted overhead, and I almost kissed her. But, shy as she was, she ran away before I could really do anything. Before she escaped, we exchanged cell phone numbers and our names. And she had the loveliest name: Gabriella." As he said this, Gabriella started to blush.

"A week later, I returned to school. In homeroom, I found out that she had actually transferred to East High. I was so excited to find out if it was really her that I called her cell phone in class; and gave us both detentions as a result of it.

"Soon, we found out about the Winter Musical. And we didn't really officially try out; we just sang a duet for fun. But Mrs. Darbus heard us anyway, and we got a callback.

"But it got harder for both of us to handle it. Our friends tried to tear us away from each other and our love for singing. My friends wanted me fully focused on the upcoming championship game, and her friends wanted her to concentrate harder on their Scholastic Decathlon. It worked, too. For a time, we didn't speak at all. Neither of us were happy; I started to play badly, and she just wasn't herself. But we tried to put on a brave face.

"Eventually, our friends accepted that they couldn't stop us from what we wanted to do. So they let us be, and we did the callback. And we got the lead parts too! In that same day, she also won the Decathlon, and I won the championship game. And," his voice lowered, "I fell in love with her."

"Wasn't that a wonderful day?" she murmured.

Troy nodded. "We ended up giving East High some of the best performances it had seen in years. The play that we put on, _Twinkle Towne_, sold more tickets than any other previous show. After the last show, I finally worked up my courage and asked her out.

"We started dating, and we were the happiest couple in the school. But then, a new girl came, and screwed everything up. For some reason, I started ignoring Gabriella and I started to like the new girl. I thought that she was nice and sweet.

"But Gabriella saw that the girl wasn't everything she said she was. This girl was actually a cold-hearted bitch who stopped at nothing to get what she wanted: me. When Gabriella tried to warn me about her other side, I was an ass and I blew her off.

"Gabriella left me then. I lost her friendship, and I lost her. For a time, I thought that I didn't need her. But then, I saw how evil the new girl really was. I broke up with her, and I pathetically tried to get Gabriella back. She ignored me. I guess I deserved it though.

"When I listened to her sing at the prom, I realized that I never stopped loving her, no matter what that girl made me think. Then, I sang at the prom, to try and show her that I truly did love her. So I planned this thing with my friends, to try and convince her to give me a second chance. I want her to know that I thoroughly hate myself for what I did to her, and that I need her back, but I totally understand if she isn't willing to be mine again..." Troy knew he was babbling, but he didn't care.

Gabriella's tears were starting to dry up. Troy noticed this, and said, "Do you think she'll give me a second chance?"

Smiling, Gabriella looked up at him. "She already has."

Troy's eyes widened. In one fluid motion, he wrapped his arm around Gabriella's waist and pulled her to him. Their lips met, soft and gentle, but full of love and understanding. Her hand reached up to cup his face, while his other arm tangled itself in her brown curls. "Thank you," Troy murmured against her mouth, knowing now that she had fully taken him back.

They broke apart and their foreheads rested together for a moment. Then he drew her into a warm, comforting hug. He buried his face in her hair and whispered, "You don't know how long I've waited to do that."

Her head was resting against his chest. She smiled and whispered back, "Same here."

Suddenly, their friends appeared, clapping and cheering. Gabriella looked up and saw Ty standing there with them, a big grin on his face. Troy saw him too, and said, "Wait. Aren't you and him going out?"

Gabriella stared at Troy for a moment, then threw her head back and laughed. "No. Ty's just one of my closest friends."

Troy looked confused. "But I saw him kissing you after my audition." Gabriella laughed and shook her head.

"Yes, but that was on the cheek, remember? Never on the lips. They're reserved for someone special," she said.

"Oh, and who would that be?"

"Definitely not you, Bolton" she replied cheekily. Troy glared at her with mock anger, then reached out and poked her side. She squeaked and whipped her head around, looking into his blue eyes. "Troy! That wasn't funny! You know how--" He cut her off with a sound kiss.

"Now, what were you saying?" he asked, after pulling away.

Gabriella's eyes twinkled. "Just saying that I love your kisses."

Troy chuckled. "I thought so."

Their friends came down and gathered around the two. "Aww...the lovebirds are back together again!" Sharpay cooed.

"Thank you, everyone, for what you did," Gabriella said, her voice thick with emotion.

"You're welcome!" they chorused.

"Is there anyway that we can ever repay you?" she asked.

"Just kiss again!" the girls cried.

However, the boys had a different idea. "Let us have a cupcake!"

Troy laughed, before leaning down and kissing Gabriella again. He wrapped his arms around her back and dipped her down, before bringing her up again. The girls squealed and giggled.

After seeing that his friends were looking longingly at the cupcakes, Troy asked Gabriella, "Well, what do you think? Do they deserve a cupcake?"

"Well, under normal circumstances, I'd say no."

"HEY!"

"But then again, these aren't normal circumstances, now are they?"

"NO, THEY'RE NOT!" Everyone reached for a cupcake. Well, Chad reached for two. Gabriella dipped her finger in the frosting and wiped it on Troy's nose. He retaliated by smearing icing all over her lips, then kissing her again.

As they laughed and kissed, their friends watched them with joy and pride. They were back together again, and everything was right in the world.

* * *

**Author's Note: Hooray! They're finally together again! **

**Haha...I've been updating so quickly lately. Maybe 'cause the ending scenes are finally coming, and they're much easier to write out, since I've had them in my head for like ever. ****Like this chapter: I've been imagining it ever since I started this story.**

**The secret song was "Open Your Eyes (To Love)" by LMNT. It was featured in _The Lizzie McGuire Movie_. **

**The little spat between Sarah and Ty was my stab at humor. I, for one, feel that it was completely pathetic. How come I can have really funny arguments in real life, and not be able to put it in my stories? -sigh-**

**I've been hearing some things about "HSM Awards." Could anyone please explain them to me? I'd really appreciate it if you did.**

**After the final chapter, I'm going to begin writing some new stories. Currently, I have several floating around in my head:**

**A Zac/Vanessa, m****y own version of _Twinkle Towne_, ****(carito06 gave me this idea) my version of how Troy and Gabriella got together (that would include the flashbacks from this story), a****nd I've had a Hannah Montana fic steaming for a while. **

**Visit my profile for full summaries of these stories. However, they will only be up there until I post the next chapter (in about two weeks or so). Please tell me in your review what you think of them.**

**I suddenly got this new idea for another chapter. It would fit right in between this one and the final chapter. But I'm not sure if I should put it in. It would involve Troy and Gabriella at the prom. It'll have one more song too. So...it's up to you! I'll let you decide whether or not I should post that extra chapter. One more thing to leave in your review...lol.**

**Remember, the fate of the next (possible) chapter is in your...erm...keyboard! If it's not a very popular idea, I'll go straight on to the final chapter. (And possibly turn that extra chapter into a oneshot).**

**Yikes! Long Author's Note (sorry about that). Thanks for reading!**

**Princesse de la Plume**


	17. If I Never Knew You

**_Featured Review:_**

_That was a great idea! I loved the plan! I can't wait for this to end (that came out wrong). What I mean is I can't wait to see what is gonna happen with everyone...I think Sarah and Ty would be great together. Anyway you should totally add the extra chapter! Because I can't get enough of this story!...I will be happily awaiting your next update...I can't believe it's almost over! I remember when I first wrote you!! Aww memories!  
roc on...**Pinkninja83**_

**Muchos gracias to the following reviewers of **Chapter 16 - Open Your Eyes: _Boredwithlifeandlove, crescent moon at midnight, foreverlily, insaneR, 2sweet4u, Miyu Mira, Leah, SimpleeLovely673, mini princess93, luvokemo, simpleperfection-x, HSMxluvah, maria-b3l3n, carito06, stephanny, larabaybee, x-applesauce-x_, _uppylove223223, Dont got one, LuvHighSchoolMusical, cryingcloud15, _**_Randomly SmuRfy, xfunkyxfr3shx, Comeback Queen, kmonty, Jewel2502,_ _Fly.Girl.Fly.,_** and especially _**PrettyGirl14, .fAlLeN.aNgEl.2006, The Drama Princess, MadiWillow **(don't worry about not reviewing for a while..it's okay!)**, Pinkninja83, soaringinlove, StarInHeaven1014, ananimous reader, Promise.Me.Forever, JolieMarie, **_and **_breaking freexx_**.

**---**

**Title: Because I Loved Him**

**Summary: A new girl comes to East High, and vows to get a certain basketball captain. When she finally attracts his attention, he leaves Gabriella to be with her. But will he realize who his true soulmate is?**

* * *

Chapter 17

Troy and Gabriella walked into the gym together. Well, specifically, they actually seemed to be glued to the hip. Their arms were around each other's waists, and Gabriella was blushing as Troy whispered something into her ear. The gang trailed behind them, grinning madly as the front couple flirted and giggled.

The prom was, despite the late hour, still in full swing. The karaoke was still going, people were dancing, and others were just standing off to the side, socializing and chatting with their friends.

But that all stopped once they caught sight of the basketball captain and the brainiac intertwined in each other's arms.

The party literally stopped dead. The music came to a halt, the dancers stopped as the people next to them turned to look at the couple entering the doors.

As Troy and Gabriella made their way to the middle of the dance floor, they parted in unison. Completely oblivious to all this, Gabriella never stopped looking at Troy, and he never stopped looking at her. Once they reached the center of the gymnasium, everyone cleared away, leaving a large circle around the duo. Their friends formed a ring in the front, so that they would have a good view of what was about to happen.

Troy's arm detached itself from Gabriella's waist as he turned to face her. She suddenly felt cold and empty without its comforting presence. But he made up for it though, when he lifted his hand to cup her face, softly running his thumb over her cheek. He looked deeply into her eyes, before beginning to sing to her.

(Author's Note:** Bold** words are Troy's, _italics_ are Gabriella's, and **_bold/italic _**are when they sing together.)

**If I never knew you,  
If I never felt this love,  
I would have no inkling of  
How precious life can be.**

Troy stole a look at Gabriella's expression. Her whole face was shining with the gleam of true love. Smiling, Troy ran his hand down to Gabriella's elbow, and pulled her into a warm hug. She reached up and linked her hands around his neck, while he twined his arms around her tiny waist. Placing his lips near her ear, he continued to sing, chuckling as she shivered.

**And if I never held you  
I would never have a clue  
How at last I'd find in you  
The missing part of me.**

Troy spun Gabriella out of his embrace like a professional ballroom dancer. They never let go of each other's hands--it was a symbol, a vow that they would never be separated again.

With his hand, Troy gestured to the crowd standing around them. He swept his arm in a wide circle, before taking Gabriella's hand and lacing his fingers with hers.

**In this world so full of fear,  
Full of rage and lies,  
I can see the truth so clear  
In your eyes.  
So dry your eyes.**

Without breaking the link between their hands, he reached up to flick away a tear that had appeared under her left eye.

**And I'm so grateful to you.  
I'd have lived my whole life through  
Lost forever,  
If I never knew you.**

Troy brought Gabriella's hand to his lips. Kissing it softly, he smiled at her lovingly, his blue eyes twinkling like stars. Her lips curved upward shyly, and she ducked her head.

Closing his eyes, Troy took in the moment. Gabriella had accepted him again, and had given him another chance. His friends backed their union fully (they were even the ones that re-ignited it), and Bianca was out of the picture now, no longer able to botch things up between them. Yes, life was good indeed.

All of a sudden, Gabriella began to sing as well. He snapped his eyes open as soon as he heard her soft voice ring out. Her head had come back up, and she was staring at him as she sang.  
_  
If I never knew you,  
I'd be safe but half as real.  
Never knowing I could feel  
A love so strong and true. _

Gabriella moved Troy's hand to her left, and covered her heart with her right. Troy barely noticed the gesture, as he was too busy trying to keep from hyperventilating. Her hand felt soft and tiny, enclosed within his larger, rougher one.

_I'm so grateful to you.  
I'd have lived my whole life through,  
Lost forever  
If I never knew you._

Breaking off from her song, Gabriella sighed. As she brought her hand down from her heart, Troy caught it in his left hand. Gabriella gazed at their connected hands for a moment, before turning her eyes up to Troy's face, a confused expression swimming in her brown eyes. Troy pulled back a little, so that their arms were stretched out slightly. Gabriella stared into his eyes, and was shocked to see a fire burning there, something that she'd never seen before.

**I thought our love would be so beautiful.**

Troy sang from the bottom of his heart, pouring every ounce of love and care he had for her into the song. He opened his mouth to continue again, but Gabriella swiftly cut him off with a tune of her own.

_Somehow we'd make the whole world bright._

Then, as both of them were unwilling to compromise and give the other the chance to sing alone, they sang together. Their voices mixed together and became one as Gabriella sang the melody and Troy accompanied her with his baritone. The students started to cheer, hearing this for the first time since mid-February.

**_I never knew that fear and hate could be so strong,  
All they'd leave us were these whispers in the night._**_  
**But still my heart is saying we were right.**_

Their voices rose to a crescendo as Gabriella and Troy continued to sing together, but started to stagger their entrances. They both sang louder and louder, as if trying to top the other's performance.

_Oh if I never knew you  
_**There's no moment I regret**  
_If I never felt this love  
_**Since the moment that we met**  
_I would have no inkling of  
_**If our time has gone too fast**  
_How precious life can be...  
_**I've lived at last...**

Eventually, Troy came out on top, smiling triumphantly. Gabriella pouted, pretending to be hurt. Troy leaned down and kissed her quickly, and suddenly her pout was gone, as if someone had taken an eraser and wiped it across her face, replacing it with a wide grin.

**_I thought our love would be so beautiful  
Somehow we'd make the whole world bright_**

Their voices were louder than ever. As Troy started to sing again, Gabriella reached out and swiftly placed a finger against his mouth. He pouted against her finger, mimicking her earlier expression. Gabriella giggled.

_I thought our love would be so beautiful  
We'd turn the darkness into light. _

Troy managed to sing around Gabriella's finger, then mimicked her again after they sang one line together. This time, his finger was placed against her lips.

**_And still my heart is saying we were right.  
_We were right.**

Gabriella disengaged her hands from Troy's and wound them around his neck. His arms immediately found her tiny waist, and their foreheads rested together as their voices grew softer.

**And if I never knew you**  
_If I never knew you  
_**I'd have lived my whole life through**  
_Empty as the sky_

Their voices were little more than whispers as they approached the end of the song.

**_Never knowing why._**_  
**Lost forever,  
If I never knew you.**_

The cheers of the audience drowned out the last of the song. Troy and Gabriella jumped, having completely forgotten that they were in the middle of the gymnasium, with the entire East High student body gathered around them. Taylor and Chad were clapping ecstatically, Sharpay, Kelsi, and Sarah were crying, and Ryan, Zeke, Jason, and Ty just stood there, trying to be men and keep the tears from dropping onto their cheeks. Unfortunately, their cheeks were glistening with more tears than any of the girls'.

Troy leaned down and kissed Gabriella on the cheek, just as he had done so many months ago in January after their callback. The cheers only grew louder as the guys whistled and the girls squealed. They pulled back from each other and smiled brightly.

---

About half an hour later, Troy and Gabriella crept out of the prom and headed for their secret balcony. They thought that no one could see them, but everyone saw them leave. The spectators turned away with little grins on their faces.

The couple took their time getting to the balcony. But when they finally got there, the view took their breath away.

The Albuquerque sky was dotted with thousands of stars, shining and winking against the black backdrop.

"It's beautiful," Gabriella whispered.

Troy took the opportunity to be mushy. "Not as beautiful as you," he said.

She turned around and snorted. "Troy Bolton, Mr. Lunkhead-Basketball-Man, is trying to become a hopeless romantic. Will the surprises never stop?"

He responded by stepping behind her and wrapping his arms around her waist. Gabriella sighed and leaned back, enjoying the feel of his chest against her back. Troy then said, "You know what would make this moment perfect?"

"What?" She tilted her head to look at him.

"A kiss," he replied seriously.

"Sorry, but I'll have to take a rain check on that," she answered, a cheeky tone in her voice.

Before she knew it, Troy had twirled her around to face him. He held her tightly in his arms and growled, "Not possible." In an instant, his lips were on hers. Her hand reached up to cup his face tenderly, running her fingers up and down his cheek. However, he was more aggressive as he tangled his fingers in her hair and pulled her closer.

Fireworks exploded in their stomachs as the kiss intensified. Troy unwillingly let out a little moan, causing Gabriella to smile against his lips. His other hand snaked around her waist and onto the small of her back, pulling her even closer.

Up above, meteors began to rain down, their fiery tails lighting up the night sky. It was as if they were applauding them, giving the city a dazzling show.

But Troy and Gabriella were oblivious to all that. They were lost in their own little world in which only they existed, floating in an endless scene of happiness and love.

* * *

**Author's Note: And there's the extra chapter! It was kinda corny, but every story needs its corny moments, right? And it's a little short...only four pages...The next chapter should be up in about a week or so.**

**Yay! Troy and Gabriella sang their first duet in this story since...well...the first chapter! By the way, the song, if you guys couldn't tell, was "If I Never Knew You" by Jon Seceda and Shanice. It's the love theme from "Pocahontas." **

**By the way, a belated Happy Thanksgiving to my American readers! And if you're not American, then a belated Happy November 23! lol.**

**Did you know that the HSM cast made a guest appearance at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade? But it was only Corbin, Monique, Ashley, and Lucas. Zac and Vanessa were no where to be found. So when they sang "We're All In This Together," Corbin and Lucas split Zac's part, and Monique and Ashley shared Vanessa's. Still sounded okay though. Miley Cyrus performed as well.**

**And the HSM cast also presented an AMA (American Music Award) for best Rap/Hip Hop group (I think that's what the category was called). I thought the opening spiel was pretty funny. But, Zac wasn't there again -sigh-.**

**Oh! And Corbin's coming out with his own album in 2007! If you go to the Disney Channel website, you'll find a link there. I'm not sure how long it'll last though. His first video is called "Push it to the Limit."**

**One last note: if I ever have a long period between updates, and you guys are wondering if I'm dead or not, check my profile. I've changed it so that I can use it for update news and such. Check it to see what's going on with me and why I'm not updating. **

**So..thanks for reading!**

**Princesse de la Plume**


	18. Beautiful

_Author's Note: Well, here it is. The last chapter to this story. The finale, the last installment, the last Troy and Gabriella scene in this story. However you want to look at it. (It's also your last chance to review -winks-)  
It's been a wonderful ride. It's funny, as I look back at my first chapters, how much my writing has evolved. And I have you, the readers and reviewers, to thank for that. I never thought that my fanfic would receive such a great response. Thank you all for your support and kind words.  
This story has gone much further than I ever dreamed. Over 450 reviews, faithful readers/reviewers, and it's made (at last count) 99 alert lists and 86 favorites lists. It's even being nominated for several categories in the High School Musical FanFiction Awards (see my profile for details on the forum).  
And now, without further ado, the last chapter to "Because I Loved Him."_

* * *

Chapter 18

Life had gone back to normal in East High. Now that May had finally come, the school was in a flurry of activity as the drama club started preparing for its Spring Musical. Mrs. Darbus had chosen a play called _Love You Forever_, a play in which two former high school sweethearts meet ten years after a nasty break-up.

One day, after a long, grueling rehearsal, Gabriella collapsed onto one of the auditorium seats. She propped her elbows on the armrests and massaged her temples tiredly. Through slitted eyes, she watched as the stage crew cleaned up the last of the set, sweeping the stage under Sharpay's scrutinizing gaze.

Gabriella sat up once she saw Troy bound down the stairs. "What're you looking for?" she asked as he rummaged through his backpack.

He jumped when he heard her voice, and pulled out a sheet of white paper. She could faintly see his untidy scrawl floating all over the page. "Err...nothing," he lied.

Raising her eyebrow, she said, "That doesn't really count as 'nothing.' " Shaking her head, she changed the topic. "So, do you want to come over? My mom said it's alright for you to stay for dinner."

Troy bit his lip. "Um, sorry, I can't. I've gotta stay here and work on something with Kelsi."

He looked so torn and apologetic that she couldn't help but grin. "Don't worry, it's okay," she whispered, stepping closer to him. Troy smiled as Gabriella reached up to peck him on the lips. Looping his arm around her waist, he caught her by surprise and held her for a long time. When they finally separated, she turned around and picked up her messenger bag and walked out of the auditorium.

As she waited outside for her mom to pick her up, Gabriella was thinking hard about the last few weeks. A few days after the prom, Troy had been acting strangely. However, it wasn't like when Bianca had first come to East High. This time, during class, while the teachers were giving lessons, he would be hard at work, scribbling words down onto the paper. The teachers didn't mind, because they thought that he was taking notes. But Gabriella knew better. A couple of times, when she had leaned over to snap him out of his frenzy, she had caught sight of a few lyrical lines. But before she could take a closer look, he would notice her, and sheepishly hide it under his books.

Mrs. Montez finally pulled up to the curb, unlocking the doors and motioning for Gabriella to climb in. She shook her head quickly and clambered into the front seat. As they drove away from the school, Gabriella decided not to worry. _I can trust him_.

---

"Hey Troy," Kelsi said. She was sitting at the piano in the music room, a pencil behind her ear and a complicated score in front of her. "Did you need something?"

Troy rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "Um, yeah. I've been working on this thing over the last few weeks, and I want to sing it to Gabriella sometime soon. Preferrably at opening night..." he trailed off, watching Kelsi's face carefully. The composer gestured with her hands, encouraging Troy to continue. "Andiwaswonderingifyoucouldsetmusictoit," he said in one breath.

Quirking her brow, Kelsi asked, "Come again?"

"Uh..I was wondering if you could set music to it?" Troy blushed. Kelsi grinned and nodded ecstatically. He let out all his breath, making a loud _whoosh_. "Gee, thanks so much, Kels!"

His friend smiled at him. "Now, can I see it?" She held out her hand, and Troy placed the paper gently in her palm. Kelsi looked over it, her eyes growing wider with every line.

Troy took this as a bad sign. "Uh oh; is it that bad?"

Kelsi chuckled and looked at him. "The exact opposite. Would you mind taking over the songwriting for me?" she asked jokingly.

"So you like it?"

"I love it!" Kelsi replied enthusiastically. "And Gabriella'll love it too!" She immediately turned back to the piano and started hitting a few keys, testing combinations and chords.

Troy sat down next to her, watching as she started to compose a melody for his song. "Do you think we would be able to fit it in somewhere in the play?"

Kelsi stopped playing and turned to face him. "_In _the play?" He nodded. "Hmm...I'm not sure Mrs. Darbus will like that..."

"Come on, Kels! Please? It doesn't even have to be at all the performances! Just opening night!"

Grinning at her friend's despair, the brunette composer gave in. "All right, we can put it in at the 'Midnight Meeting' scene. Sound okay?"

"Okay? It's great! Thanks so much, Kelsi, for everything," Troy's voice started to crack.

Kelsi leaned over and wrapped her arms around him, enveloping in a warm hug. "Don't worry about it. You and Gabriella are happy again, and that's all that matters," she whispered. Pulling back, they smiled at each other, friend to friend, and started to work on Troy's song.

---

Opening night came way too fast. During the last few rehearsals, Mrs. Darbus was running around like a frazzled chicken, making the actors run through the entire play several times. If she found the tiniest mistake, they would have to rehearse that scene over and over, until she was satisfied.

As the auditorium began to fill with people, Gabriella stood offstage, peeking out at the growing audience. She had changed into her opening costume a long time ago; the first scene was to take place at a party, so she was dressed in a long white strapless dress, with a big bow around her waist. Her heart was pounding so loud that she was sure everyone could hear it.

"Nervous?" Gabriella jumped as a voice spoke behind her. She turned around and a pair of warm blue eyes came into view. Troy stood before her, dressed in a black dress shirt and black slacks. When she nodded, he chuckled and pulled her into a hug. "You'll do great," he whispered into her ear. "You always do."

Gabriella lifted her head off his chest to look at him. He leaned down and kissed her softly on the lips, lingering there for a moment before Gabriella batted him away. "Ruin my makeup, and I'll slaughter you, Bolton. I don't want to have to spend another hour in the dressing room!" she chided, a grin playing around her lips.

Troy laughed. He opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by Mrs. Darbus' voice as she spoke into the microphone. "Ladies and gentlemen, I welcome you to this chapel of the arts." Sniggers were heard as she said this. "What you are about to see is a production of _Love You Forever_, starring Troy Bolton as Aidan Calloway--" Cheers broke out in the auditorium. "--Gabriella Montez as Chelsea Montressori, Sharpay Evans as Lily Pascal, and Ryan Evans as Jacob Blusant." The cheers grew louder, but died under Mrs. Darbus' intense stare. "At this time, we ask that you turn all mobile phones and pagers off--" The room was filled with electronic music as cell phones were switched off. "And now, sit back, relax, and enjoy the show!"

The heavy curtains were dragged to the side to reveal an elaborate set, modeling a penthouse apartment. Sharpay, Ryan, and a lot of extras milled around, carrying champagne glasses filled with colored liquid. Off to the side, Gabriella took one last fleeting look at Troy, before moving to step out onto stage. But before she emerged, Troy grabbed her arm and whispered, "If anything seems out of the ordinary, especially in the second act, just follow my lead, 'kay?" Puzzled by his cryptic remark, Gabriella had two choices: stay behind, ask what he meant, and miss her cue, or just nod. She nodded briefly, before walking onto the stage and joining the extras.

Troy smiled to himself. He watched as Gabriella started to act out her part, chatting silently with an extra. After a few minutes, he entered the stage and started to approach the two girls.

_"Hey, Chelsea!" Lily called out across the room. The pretty brunette turned and grinned when she caught sight of her old-time friend. Chelsea weaved in and out of small socializing groups, making a beeline for the blonde. When the two girls finally met up, they immediately hugged._

_"Lily! How are you? I haven't seen you forever!" Chelsea exclaimed._

_Lily beamed. "I know; it's been way too long. And as for the 'how are you' statement, I'm good...and engaged..." she trailed off, lifting her hand. Gasping, Chelsea inspected her friend's ring._

_"It's positively humongous! Now, which guy did you pay to propose to you?" Chelsea joked, nudging her friend. _

_Huffing, Lily pretended to be offended. "For your information, I didn't _pay _any man to propose to me!" she said indignantly. Then, lowering her voice, she added, "He chose me because he is completely hypnotized!"_

_"Really? I thought I was in love with you. Well, since I was hypnotized, I guess that I'll be taking that ring back." All of a sudden, a tall, blond man stepped up to Lily. Giggling, she hid her left hand behind her back. He wound one arm around her waist, and stuck his right hand out. "I'm Jacob Blusant. And her whole 'I hypnotized him charade' is sadly true. Unfortunately, I'm completely in love with her." Lily looked up at her fiancé and beamed, then smacked him in the chest._

_Chelsea smiled and shook Jacob's hand, laughing as the blond winced from his fiancée's blow. "Congratulations, you two. So, Lily, who's hosting this party?" she asked, changing the subject. "It never mentioned any names on the invitation."_

_"I am." Jacob and Lily's eyes went wide as they stared at the person behind Chelsea. The brunette slowly turned around, clearly knowing the owner of the deep voice. _Please, let it be someone else_ she prayed silently. Alas, they weren't answered._

_Raising a shaking finger, Chelsea stuttered, "Y-y-you're hosting this party?"_

_"Why, are you afraid to see me, Chels?"_

_"Aidan," she whispered._

---

Intermission was suddenly upon them, and everybody rushed to their dressing rooms, hurrying to change costumes and touch up their makeup. The audience milled around, escaping the auditorium to the hallway in order to breathe and buy programs. Troy and Gabriella had finished early, and were now standing behind the curtain, listening to the audience's low mumble.

"Well, we've got the second act coming up, and that'll be the last one," Troy said casually, trying to start a conversation.

"Can you please tell me what's going to happen? Please? I hate surprises!" Gabriella pouted. Troy mimed zipping his lips shut, and she _humphed_, crossing her arms and turning away. After a few seconds, she looked at him again over her shoulder. He shook his head, and she stuck her tongue out at him.

"Oh, very mature, Gabriella," Troy laughed. She turned around to face him again, a smile playing about on her lips. Troy couldn't resist; she was the only person that could ever coax secrets from him. He leaned down and placed his mouth next to her ear, whispering, "Watch out when the duet comes." His warm breath tickled her ear, and she looked at him quizzically, her eyes pleading for more information.

Gabriella opened her mouth to protest, but Mrs. Darbus' voice cut her off as it boomed in the auditorium. "Ladies and Gentlemen, the second act of _Love You Forever_ is about to begin. Please return to your seats and turn all mobile devices off. Thank you."

"Ready?" Troy asked. Gabriella nodded. "Good." He gave her a quick kiss, before walking out onto the stage and preparing for the next scene. The curtain lifted, showing a new scene. Taking a deep breath, Gabriella stepped out to join him onstage. She looked out into the darkened auditorium, her lines coming instantly to her lips.

The second act had started.

---

_"Chelsea! Fancy meeting you here!" Aidan called out. They had accidentally run into each other at the same restaurant: Le Restaurant Luxueux. _

_"You too. Listen, I've got to tell you something." Chelsea had finally decided to own up to her feelings about him. Truth was, despite their difficult break-up back in high school, she had fallen in love all over again with him over the course of the past few weeks. "I—I—I think I'm—"_

_"Honey, who's this?" Both Chelsea and Aidan turned to acknowledge the newcomer. Beside him stood a tall, willowy woman, with long, honey-brown hair, high, sculpted cheekbones, and piercing green eyes. _

_Aidan paled. Shifting so that he faced Chelsea again, he bit his lip nervously. "Um...Chelsea, this is my girlfriend, Blanche. _(Gabriella winced at how close the name was to Bianca. That whole memory was still sharply imbedded in her mind.) _Blanche, this Chelsea, one of my very close friends from high school."_

_Blanche regarded Chelsea with a cold stare. "Nice to meet you," she said coolly. She didn't bother to stick out her hand._

_Chelsea smiled weakly. Aidan noticed this and asked, "So, Chelsea, what was it you wanted to tell me?"_

_She shook her head. How could she have been so foolish, to believe that she could tell him that she loved him and that everything would be okay? Why didn't she anticipate this? _

_"Chelsea?" Aidan's voice shook her out of her reverie._

_Chelsea looked up into his blue eyes for a moment, before averting her gaze. "It's not important anymore."_

_---_

_Aidan didn't know what was going on. He wasn't happy with Blanche; she was egotistic and conceited, always concerned about herself. He found his thoughts straying to one certain brunette, someone that he had known in high school..._

_Over the last few weeks, they'd run into each other more than just a couple of times. While he secretly suspected that Jacob and Lily had something to do with it, he was more than happy about the occurrences. Every time he caught sight of Chelsea, something fluttered in his chest, his breathing quickened, and he felt giddy and laughed at every little joke, even if it wasn't that funny._

_What was going on?_

---

Gabriella steeled herself. The duet scene was coming up, and she still didn't have a clue as to what was happening. As soon as the stage crew finished setting up the new scene, she rushed onstage to take her place, mouthing a quick "thank you" to the stage manager, who happened to be Taylor. Yes, the president of the Science Club had decided to become more active in the drama club, ever since her best friend became one of the biggest stars to ever hit East High's stage.

_A sound rang out, striking 11:45. Chelsea sat on a stone bench in a small rose garden, staring up at the stars. She couldn't help but think that wishing on everyone of them would help her situation with Aidan. While it was a childish thing to do, she wished "I wish for Aidan to love me again."_

_As if by coincidence, Aidan stumbled into the garden. She rose to meet him, taking in his disheveled clothes and messy hair with a worried expression. The question, "Are you al--" died on her lips as he lifted his head and met her eyes, his burning with a passion and fire that she had seen only once before, so many years ago._

_"May I have this dance?" Aidan asked suddenly. _(Gabriella blinked. This wasn't supposed to happen. They were supposed to have a conversation about infatuation and true love. But then she remembered Troy's words: _If anything seems out of the ordinary, especially in the second act, just follow my lead, 'kay? _and _Watch out when the duet comes._)

_Chelsea nodded. He took her right hand and clasped it in his left, while his right hand wound itself around her waist. Her left hand rose up to rest on his shoulder, and he began to lead her in a slow, smooth waltz. _(A piano began to play, and Gabriella saw that Kelsi had gone up on the stage to play. The composer shot her friend an encouraging glance before turning back to the score.)

_A beautiful rift of notes filled the room, and Aidan began to lead Chelsea around the garden, humming softly under his breath. She stared up into his face, searching for an answer, but his expression revealed nothing._

_Then, Aidan opened his mouth and began to sing. _(Gabriella had the feeling that this was what Troy was talking about. She decided to just follow his lead, and see where it took them. She also had the strange idea that what "Aidan" was singing wasn't really coming from the character, but from Troy himself.) **(Author's Note: This is where the 'play' will end for this chapter. Keep in mind, there would be a lot more to the story, but I'm cutting it off here for chapter purposes.)**

_From the moment I saw you,  
From the moment I looked into your eyes,  
There was something about you  
I knew. I knew  
That you were once in a life time,  
A treasure near impossible to find.  
And I know how lucky I am to have you._

Troy's words took Gabriella's breath away. They were simple, yet so full of meaning, intricate, yet easy to understand. He loved her, and this was his way of showing it.

His right arm left her waist to draw wide arcs in the air.

_'Cause I've seen rainbows that can take your breath away.  
The beauty of the setting sun that ends a perfect day.  
And when it comes to shooting stars, I've seen a few.  
But I've never seen anything  
As beautiful as you._

Troy's arm returned to her waist, and with it, a sense of love and security, warmth and trust. He spun her out of his embrace, and she giggled as the skirt she was wearing swirled around her legs. Troy pulled her back in such a way that she was resting against his chest, and he wrapped both of his arms around her waist. In response, she covered her arms with his, and he bent down so that he could sing into her ear. They swayed from side to side in time with the music.

_Holding you in my arms,  
No one else has fit so perfectly.  
I could dance forever with you, with you.  
And at the stroke of midnight,  
Please forgive me if I can't let go.  
'Cause I never dreamed I'd find a Cinderella of my own._

Ironically, a loud _gong_ resonated in the auditorium, signaling "midnight." Gabriella marveled at how Kelsi and Troy had arranged the music and the lyrics to go perfectly with the atmosphere. She also smiled at his reference to her favorite fairy tale.

_'Cause I've seen rainbows that can take your breath away.  
The beauty of the setting sun that ends a perfect day.  
And when it comes to shooting stars, I've seen a few.  
But I've never seen anything  
As beautiful as you._

Troy turned her around so that she was facing him again. He pulled her closer to him, and she eagerly tightened her hold on her shoulder, while his arm tightened around her waist. He dipped her down briefly, before bringing her back up and singing louder and louder as he continued to whirl her around the set.

_'Cause I've seen rainbows that can take your breath away.  
The beauty of the setting sun that ends a perfect day.  
And when it comes to shooting stars, I've seen a few.  
But I've never seen anything...  
Oh oh, oh no,  
I've never seen anything  
As beautiful as you._

As the song began to slow down, Troy's voice lowered in volume, until he was all but whispering. Of course, their microphones picked it up so that the whole audience could hear it.

_From the moment I saw you,  
From the moment I looked into your eyes._

He cut off, both of them breathing heavily. No one moved, and Gabriella suddenly noticed how close they were. While they were dancing, they had unconsciously moved closer and closer, until only about three inches separated their lips.

Troy took the initiative and closed the gap. Their lips met, and her arms immediately went around his neck. His hands were instantly on her waist, and he lifted her up. Gabriella smiled against his lips, but never broke the kiss. He set her down, and then they finally noticed the thunderous applause. Everyone in the audience was on their feet, clapping and cheering. Including Troy's parents, Gabriella's mom, and Mrs. Darbus, though she didn't look too happy about his improvisation.

But Troy didn't care. He looked down at Gabriella, and she looked back up at him, and they both laughed as they bowed and the curtain closed, surrounding them in darkness.

(Author's Note: The song Troy sang was "Beautiful" by Wayne Brady, accompanied by Jim Brickman on the piano.)

---

About half an hour later, Troy and Gabriella had wriggled out of their itchy costumes and washed off all the heavy stage makeup in their respective dressing rooms. Then they met up and walked towards the gymnasium, where a party to celebrate opening night was being held.

"That was a beautiful song, Troy," Gabriella commented. "Did Kelsi write it specially for the situation?"

Troy snorted. "What makes you think that Kelsi is the only one with songwriting abilities here?"

She gasped. "_You _wrote that?"

"Is that so hard to believe?"

Laughing, she shook her head. "No. It makes it all the more meaningful." Gabriella reached up to peck him on the lips, and they continued the rest of the walk in a comfortable silence.

Troy's hand found its way to Gabriella's waist, and he rested it there, watching her carefully for any signs of protest. But she didn't utter a sound. When they entered the gym, the crowd went wild as everyone rushed to the entrance to greet the two stars. The people were thrusting their programs at Troy and Gabriella, asking for autographs. Their friends gathered around them, trying to shield them from the massive onslaught.

All of a sudden, the crowd parted like the Red Sea as someone hobbled up to them. They watched the newcomer silently, some with looks of surprise, and others with looks of contempt.

"Bianca," Gabriella said, her face hardening. Troy instinctively tightened his hold on her, bracing for any possible lash out from his former girlfriend.

But the blonde girl looked tired. "Gabriella, Troy...it's nice to see you again," she started awkwardly. They were silent. She sighed. "I didn't come here to cause any more trouble, or try to break up new relationships. I came here to apologize, to you two." Bianca gestured to the two leads.

"I truly am sorry for everything I've done. Troy, I'm sorry for tearing you away from Gabriella, when you are clearly meant to be together. And Gabriella, I'm sorry for breaking you guys up, and causing you so much pain. I was a stupid, conniving cow; I only had eyes for what I wanted, and I didn't care what happened to everyone else. But I was lonely, and I wanted a way to make myself known."

Gabriella's heart melted. "Bianca, you could have just told us. We would have taken you in, shown you around, and get you comfortable here. That's what everyone did for me, back in January." She looked up and smiled at the assembled crowd.

"Yeah, I should have done that. And I wanted to let you know that no matter what the world says, you two are meant to be together. You guys are amazing, both on and off the stage," Bianca said.

Troy spoke up then. "Um, thanks, Bianca."

She smiled weakly at them. "I also wanted to let you know that I won't be such a big pain next year. In fact, I won't even be here at all." At their questioning gaze, she continued, "My parents are sending me to a boarding school back East. Apparently, my grades and conduct weren't that spectacular."

"Oh," Gabriella said softly. "When are you leaving?"

"Tonight. I just came to congratulate you on a great show and apologize for everything. Oh, and to thank you for your visit, Gabriella." Bianca turned and started to limp towards the exit of the gym.

Troy and Gabriella ran up to her. "Bianca, wait," Troy said. He took her program and signed it with a flourish, then passed it to Gabriella, who imprinted her swirly signature upon the glossy paper.

"Thank you." Bianca said sincerely. Then she limped out of the gym, and out of their lives.

---

Eventually, the crowd had disippated, as people started to head home. But the gang stayed behind, including its newest members: Ty and Sarah. They were all talking about the play, Bianca's exit, and the final scene. Troy and Gabriella were laughing along, their hands never separating.

Sharpay finally broke the subject. "So, Gabriella, why'd you take Troy back so easily?" Troy blushed. "I mean, even after what he did to you, you still gave him a second chance. Why?" Everyone else started talking all at once, saying things like, "Yeah! Tell us!" and "Not many people would do that!"

"Guys!" Troy barked. "Maybe if you're quiet, she'll let you know?"

"Yes Captain," Chad, Zeke, and Jason said automatically. When they received stares from the rest of the group, Chad put his hands up defensively. "What? It's a reflex!"

Chuckling at her friends' antics, Gabriella looked up at Troy. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught her staring at him and turned towards her, a goofy grin on his face. Coloring furiously, Gabriella ducked her head shyly.

"Well?" Taylor's sharp voice said.

Gabriella snapped her head back up. "Well what?"

"Why'd you take him back so easily?"

Smiling up at Troy, Gabriella knew her answer instantly:

"Because I love him."


End file.
